Answers
by Jaded Starlight
Summary: You hold the answers deep within your own mind. Consciously, you've forgotten it. Whenever something is too unpleasant, to shameful for us to entertain, we reject it. We erase it from our memories. But the answer is always there.
1. Too Short to Be Chapter One

Disclaimer: My therapist says I should be over the fact that I don't own The Matrix by 2164. I say she's an optimist.  
A/N: This is the first piece of Matrix fanfiction I've had the guts to post, so I'd really appreciate feedback. Constructive criticism is appreciated. Suggestions are welcomed. Praise is nice for my ego (just thought I'd throw that in…). Flames will be used to toast Fluffy Puff Marshmallows.  
  
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Answers

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By Jaded Starlight

  
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Introduction:

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**It's Too Short to Be Chapter One**

  
He sighed, starring through dark glasses out the window of the federally controlled building. Gathering his thoughts, he removed his sunglasses and folded them neatly before sliding them into the pocket of his suit jacket. Turning around, he began to speak in his trademark tone, slow and mechanical yet always imperious.  
  
"Why make this so hard on yourself, Mr. Harrison?"  
  
The man was on the brink of consciousness, his eyes rolling back in his head and his body trembling in frequent spasms.  
  
The professional-looking man approached an odd-looking machine on a cart, to which Mr. Harrison was hooked up to via sticky pads and white wires. It offered some kind of reading to the other man. He paused thoughtfully and pressed a yellow button. Surges of electricity began to flow through the plastic-covered wires and shot through Harrison's body causing him to scream and writhe in agony. Once the current had passed, his nose began to bleed. Managing to lift his head, he spoke. "What do you want to know?" he asked as blood spilled out his mouth.  
  
The suit-clad man seemed to smile, not authentic by any means. He took a seat across from the tortured captive with a satisfied smirk. "Very good, Mr. Harrison. It was wise of you to comply. Now, Mr. Harrison, tell me, what exactly were you and your former crew doing in the Matrix?"  
  
"We were told to find a girl. That's all I know." He choked.  
  
"Who is this girl?"  
  
"They didn't say."  
  
"Who didn't say, Mr. Harrison?"  
  
"…the council… Zion…" He replied, coughing up a thick pool of blood. Between the excretion of the substance from his nose and mouth, half his face was covered in a thick layer of it, more dripping down his neck and soaking the collar of his dirty and tattered white shirt.  
  
"So Zion sent you on a mission to find a girl they didn't specify?"  
  
He struggled to nod.  
  
At that moment, two others clad in the same attire as the interrogator entered the room, questioning progress.  
  
"He's useless." was the reply.  
  
The shorter of the two men new to the room raised his gun and fired, putting Mr. Harrison out of his misery and out of theirs.  
  
"Do we know the identity of whom he spoke of?" The other asked.  
  
The man rose from his chair, replacing his dark glasses. "No."  
  
"It seems strange." The taller mused. "An entire crew on such a non-specific mission."  
  
"Brown, Jones, take him away."  
  
They nodded in unison. "Right away, Smith." As they began to peel the sticky pads off the dead man's body while Smith called for a cleanup unit.  



	2. Even the Paranoid Get Followed

**Answers**

  


By Jaded Starlight

  
  
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Chapter One:

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Even the Paranoid Get Followed

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The sun beat down hard on the busy city streets as hundreds of people rushed from one engagement to the other. A large throng of people gathered at the corner of 14th and Main impatiently awaiting a change in the color of the traffic light. Among the herd of people at that particular traffic stop, one young woman began to tap her foot against the concrete in a fervent manner. She checked over her shoulder and then realized that she had no motive for her previous action. She shrugged as she checked the light, realizing it had not changed in the past 2.4 seconds. She glanced at her watch in a rushed manner, though she had nowhere in particular to be. This was her lunch break. She had nearly two hours to herself and she found herself rushing a traffic light. This was strange, considering she was normally patient to an unnerving degree.

_'Calm down, Jade ole girl…'_

Her attempts at reassuring herself failed. She found herself frantically scanning the faces of the massive crowd in a panic. Sometime during her panic the light had changed and she found herself caught amongst a sea of people. Before she was aware, she had been swept up in the massive current and was now standing at the corner of the next traffic stop.

Scanning the new crowd, her stomach dropped as her gaze fixed on a face she had never seen before. He was tall, with shoulder length black hair and ice cold blue eyes. He had an unforgiving stare, which seemed to be fixed on her. From what she could see of his attire, he wore a long leather coat, wich was odd for the middle of May.

_'Paranoia, much?'_ She asked herself in an attempt to lighten her mindset. Her mind screamed for her to run, but her legs failed to respond, standing patiently awaiting the change of the light. She watched as he gradually worked his way through the crowd closer to her. She bolted across the street upon the change of color and kept a quick pace, occasionally glancing over her shoulder.

Agent Smith pressed on his earpiece, receiving information from the mainframe. There were rebels in the Matrix, Brown and Jones were already preoccupied with another situation across town. It was only one rebel, so Smith should not have a problem subduing it. Silence followed the command as Smith straightened his tie and started on his way.

Jade found herself running full speed, however fast that might have been through the city streets. She never paused at a light or oncoming danger, narrowly escaping what would have certainly been fatal accidents as the man stalked not far behind her. Glancing down the street, she saw a huge shipping truck headed straight for the middle of her path. Panic struck when she checked behind her and found that somehow, this man had managed to catch up and trailed not far behind. She pushed herself harder than she ever thought possible in an effort to beat out the truck, and by some miracle she crossed its path seconds before it would have killed her. Once she felt sidewalk under her feet, she looked back and saw that he had lost time and was out of her line of vision. She darted into the alleyway nearest her, hoping to evade his sight.

_'Even the paranoid get followed…'_ She thought.

She waited in silence, crouched behind a dumpster. On her watch, five minutes crawled by. She let out a long sigh of relief as she stood and straightened her clothes. Running a hand through her long dark hair, she took an elastic off her wrist and crudely combed it into a low ponytail. She turned toward the street and started toward the sidewalk when something stepped out in front of her. She gasped and stepped back, disbelieving. Before her towered the cold-eyed man who had stalked her several city blocks.

"Aurora, you are one tricky girl to get hold of." He said.

She felt her blood run cold and all color drained from her face. "What did you call me?"

He smirked. "Aurora. But perhaps I should first introduce myself. I am Quest."

Her mind was functioning slowly, numbly. "You… you're one of them…"

"You're smarter than I give you credit for, Aurora. Yes, I am 'one of them'. I am a rebel."

"How do you know that name?"

"Aurora, dear, that is your name. No matter what you call yourself or what everyone else calls you, you're still Aurora."

"No. Aurora is dead."

"On the contrary, she's very much alive. In fact, she's standing right in front of me."

"What do you want?"

"Me? Oh, I don't want anything."

"Bullshit."

"Aurora, you misjudge me." He replied, feigning hurt.

"Then explain why you stalked me for over an hour."

"Again, smarter than I give you credit for."

She started to walk past him, but he gripped her shoulders. She winced in pain as his fingernails broke through her skin. 

"You're going to come with me, Aurora. You're going to cooperate."

"Why?" She spat.

"Because if you don't, my orders are to kill you."

She gritted her teeth, "I'd like to see you try." She replied as she delivered a kick to his groin. She easily broke free of his slacking grip and started to run, but not before he tore at her ponytail and threw her to the ground. She rolled her body back and pushed off the ground with her arms, landing on her feet, unfaltering. Both parties stood stunned for a brief moment. She had never fought before… so why was she capable of that? Quest assumed a fighting stance, wondering how this 22 year old could fight better than a veteran rebel. He chalked it up to beginners luck and lunged at her. She jumped in the air and kicked him repeatedly as if she were running in midair. Quest felt his bleeding jaw as he looked in disbelief at his opponent who was equally as shocked. Anger raged in his icy eyes and he delivered a kick to her stomach that sent her stumbling backwards. He punched and kicked until her until he felt his edge return, then gripped her in a headlock. He pulled out his gun and jammed the cold metal into her temple. 

"You can come with me or you can die, Aurora." He said through gasping breaths.

A long shadow caught both their attention, as its source stepped into view. "Mr. Antonelli." A man that they both identified as an Agent said.

"I'm gonna kill her anyway, so you're really assisting me in the process." Quest explained to the Agent approaching them.

"It seems strange to me that you would kill one of your own kind, Mr. Antonelli. Care to enlighten me?"

"They said she must be destroyed if she fails to cooperate, I cannot jeopardize the mission…" He replied as he continued to babble insanely. Jade wondered where the collected and sadistic man of minutes ago had gone. She knew she was going to die, either by the hand of Quest or this Agent. She sighed and almost welcomed whatever oblivion would follow the bang of the gunshot meant for her. She heard a shot, but only felt Quest's grip loosen. She watched him stagger as he cocked his gun and fired. Her ankle exploded with pain as she fell to the ground. 

Quest lunged at the Agent, who easily retaliated. She carefully slid herself against the brick wall and cried out in pain as her ankle twisted. She'd never make it out like this. Accepting her fate, she watched as the Agent's fluid movements defeated her stalker. She watched him raise his gun and seal Quests fate. With a loud 'bang', Quest lay still on the cold pavement, a bullet in his head. Jade cowered pathetically against the wall, hoping that maybe, if she were quiet enough he would forget about her. She stared at the pavement and watched as it was swallowed by the shadow of the Agent.

"Are you able to walk?"

She looked up at the man who stood towering over her, expecting an answer. She watched him tuck his gun away as he repeated himself.

"Are you able to walk?" He was growing annoyed, but refrained from showing it. He couldn't risk further upsetting this highly sought-after woman. 

"No… I can't."

Smith pressed on his earpiece and received word of more approaching rebels, which Brown and Jones were trailing. He sighed.

"Come with me." He said, lowering himself to assist her in standing. He gripped her waist firmly but carefully as she held on to his shoulders and he lifted her onto her good leg. Before she was aware, the Agent was holding her with one arm supporting her knees, the other on her back. Her arms here still around his neck, but she failed to notice. This Agent was…helping her? Agents killed humans, not helped them. Then again, she wasn't a rebel. 

They came to the Agent's black Audi, and he managed to get her safely and painlessly into the passenger seat. The door opposite her opened and the Agent sat beside her. He wordlessly started the car and they headed off. 

"So… you're an Agent?" She asked after what felt like an eternity of screaming silence.

He appeared a bit startled. "Yes."

"Which one?"

"…Smith."

She recognized the name… Smith… he couldn't have been the Agent Neo had described to her, could he? She was tempted to ask, but decided that any mentioning of Neo would have negative repercussions. 

They rode in silence until the car parked in front of an impressive looking skyscraper. Smith stepped out of the car and around to the passenger side. He opened the door and helped the injured woman to her able foot before lifting her into the same position as before. He carried her into the federally controlled building and into an elevator. They stepped out at the 42nd floor where he carried her into an office she assumed to be his. He carefully set her down on a leather chair that could have been a couch and propped her injured leg on a matching ottoman. Jade's mind was still functioning slowly, few things fully processing. All she had managed to access was that her ankle throbbed with shooting pains which could only mean that it had shattered. She also knew that the man who had taken care of her was an Agent, and Agents functioned only to destroy human rebels. And he smelled nice. That seemed to be all she understood at the moment. 'Way to go, Jade.' She thought, 'all you can think of is 'he smells nice'. Two points, captain obvious.' She desperately wanted to wake up in bed at home to find this all a dream. She shifted her weight, which sent screaming bolts of agony through her lower body, exploding in her brain and causing her to wince out loud. So much for being a dream.

"Are you all right, Miss…" He asked before realizing that he hadn't learned her name.

"Turner. My name's Jade Turner."

"Jade… that's an unusual name."

"Not really. It was either that or Estelle."

Smith feigned interest. "Did you know Mr. Antonelli personally?"

"No. I'd never heard of him before."

"Do you know why he was after you?"

"No."

He called you 'Aurora'… I'm curious as to why."

"I don't believe that's any of your business." She replied coldly.

"I'm trying to understand, Miss Turner." He replied, trying to conceal his impatience.

"You can't."

"I don't believe that's a fair assumption."

"You tell me, Mr. Smith. Can you understand?"

"If you mean to grasp completely the concept of, yes. I can."

"But can you genuinely empathize with a specific scenario?"

"Empathy is not among my…qualities."

"It's not one among AI's, or so I've been told."

He looked at her, completely surprised. He thought he had the upper hand in their conversation, but it now seemed that it had been the other way around. "I believe that you should tell me exactly how much you know, Miss Turner.""Of course." She replied, "But first, take off your sunglasses."

"I believe that I am the one in authority here, Miss Turner."

"And I believe that if you want to get any information from me, you'll oblige my request and take your goddamn sunglasses off." Uh oh. She had just cursed at an Agent. She was dancing on death's door.

Smith eyed her beneath his dark shades and a satisfied look rested across his features. She was bold. He decided to oblige her request, as she had put it, and removed the offending glasses. He had grown quite interested in this woman and exactly how far her knowledge stretched. He hadn't the time to go through her file, so he pressed his earpiece and in a blink, he downloaded it. "I've obliged your request, now you oblige mine."

Jade was stunned for a moment. She hadn't expected him to actually do what she asked, hell, she hadn't expected he'd let her live this long. She collected herself and spoke. "I know about the Matrix. I know what it is. I know about… the real world. I know about your job and what you really do. I know that none of this is real."

"And yet, you remain in the Matrix. Most of your species when presented with the choice opt for the 'real world', as they call it. I'm genuinely curious as to why you did not." He asked. He had only known of one other human who rejected the real world. Mr. Regan, who offered Morpheus in exchange for reinsertion. That exchange hadn't gone as planned. His attention directed itself back to the present and the response he was waiting for.

"I wasn't given a choice." She replied, glancing at some fixed point on the right side of the room.

"I apologize if I have overstepped my boundaries. I did not understand the sensitivity of this topic." He replied, sensing her unease. He wanted very much to pursue this conversation, to understand what made her reject the real world. Perhaps whatever she had used as basis for her decision could be implemented into the system and ensure the security of the Matrix. However, from his knowledge of humans, they did not enjoy pursuing uncomfortable topics. Persistence in these matters could lead to anger and resentment. Perhaps she would disclose more information if he were patient with her. Inwardly, he was cringing at the thought.

Jade twisted uncomfortably in the leather chair. It wasn't the chair itself, more the topic of discussion that was making her anxious. Had he just…apologized? "…It's not your fault." She said, shifting in her seat, again reminding herself of the reality of the situation. Well, almost reality.

"With your consent, I can heal your ankle." He said.

"Uh… sure…" She replied, a little uneasy. 

He stood and approached the wounded leg. "You're going to get a sense of déjà vu when I do this." He cautioned as he covered the wound with his hands. 

She glanced at the Agent, then out the window. She watched a flock of sparrow fly past, then the same flock fly by again. 'Déjà vu' she thought then looked at Smith who stood beside the ottoman where her perfectly healed ankle rested. Carefully, she tested its mobility and found it efficient. She stood on it, and felt no pain. Jade stood in awe. This man, this Agent had just healed her. He had saved her a hospital visit and a bill, plus a cast and surgery, not to mention the cost of physical therapy and an increase in her health insurance. 

"Thank you…" She managed. She could have sworn she saw a smile flash across his face, but couldn't be sure.

"It's all right, Miss Turner."

"Jade. Please call me Jade."

"All right. From now on I shall address you as Jade." He replied. He had never been on a first name basis with a human, mostly because none of them had lived long enough for him to care. Well, he was going to have to care. Whatever this woman had was of obvious importance to the rebels, and in addition, she had rejected the real world. The only real problem was her humanity. Smith figured that with a bit of restraint, he might be able to tolerate her. "I would offer to heal your lip; however doing so would risk permanent alteration of your facial structure."

"I'll be fine." She replied, "Wait a minute… you can change that kind of stuff?"

"I believe they now call it plastic surgery."

"No kidding…" She replied, enlightened. "So AI's are responsible for it?"

"Well, mostly a group of rogue programs that resided in California."

"Makes sense." She replied. "How bad does it look?" She asked.

"It's swollen. There's a bathroom with a mirror to your left." He answered, gesturing in the direction of the indicated door.

She found the door and flicked on the light, revealing a classic black and white tiled bathroom. She studied her face in the mirror. Her lip was more than swollen. Her green eyes seemed sunken in the surrounding pools of dark. Her left cheek was scratched. Simply put, she was a mess. Her red skirt was dirty and worn, but thankfully not ripped. She tilted her neck to the side and winced. Quest's headlock had been tighter than she remembered. She now donned a fresh purple bruise on her neck. She brushed a lock of stray, untamed dark hair out of her face and saw the gash along the side of her forehead where a gun had recently been jammed. She pulled the elastic out of her hair carefully, as her scalp still throbbed. For a brief moment, she could feel Quest ripping at her hair. She squeezed her eyes shut and reopened them, half expecting to find herself on the cold pavement. Instead, she found only her reflection. She turned the faucet on and splashed her face, feeling the cold water against her skin. After wiping it dry, she still did not find herself any better. She sighed, unable to maintain eye contact with her reflection for any longer. She turned the silver doorknob and pushed it forward. She stepped out of the bathroom in worse condition than she had entered it.

"You seem perturbed, Miss- … Jade." Smith observed, almost forgetting her request.

"I'm a mess, Smith." She replied, genuinely apathetic. She glanced at her watch. "Christ. I'm late for work."

"No you're not."

"My break ended at one thirty. It's two forty."

"I called your boss while you were in the bathroom. He's given you the next two days off, to recover."

Jade sat quietly in the chair she had grown accustomed to over the past few…hours? "How did you know where I work?"

"I downloaded your file."

A look of horror appeared on Jade's face.

"It is the job of the mainframe to keep records of everyone residing in the Matrix."

"Are they personal?" She asked.

"Not terribly."

"Do you know my social security number?"

"…yes."

"Shit…" she cursed. She looked as if she might cry.

"You're file is the equivalent of a government file. We know nothing of your personal interactions."

She seemed to relax after that. "What did you tell him?"

"I explained to Mr. Westburg that you survived an attempted mugging by an infamous terrorist whom we have been in pursuit of for several years. He didn't ask much, he only questioned your physical condition."

"Thank you." She replied, not knowing what else to say. She felt her body ache, the shock now gone left her with the after effects.

"You are no doubt exhausted, M- Jade. You should return home and allow yourself recovery time."

She wholeheartedly agreed. "Thank you."

He stood and began to walk toward the door.

"What are you doing?"

"Escorting you home."

She waved her hand in protest. "No, no thanks, I'll be fine."

"In your current condition I'd be thoroughly surprised if you made it to the elevator before collapsing."

Realizing his point, she sighed. "I guess I really look like hell."

Smith observed her. She was no doubt exhausted and her bruises were beginning to darken. Yes, he concluded. She did look like hell. However, he knew that he could not agree to her consensus, as humans took offense to such responses, especially women. "You've had a long day."

At least he was honest. 

She had managed getting to the elevator without collapsing, thanks to the Agent who acted as her equilibrium. Her eyelids felt heavy. All she needed was to rest them for a while… 

When she opened her eyes, Jade found herself in the passenger seat of Smith's Audi. How did she get there? She had just rested her eyes for a moment, that was all. She tried to form a coherent sentence, but all she managed was, "Wha… where…?"

The driver's eyes never drifted from the road. "You fell asleep in the lobby. I carried you outside and into my car."

"I fell asleep?"

"Correct."

She rubbed her eyes with her palm. "I'm sorry."

"You have done nothing that requires an apology." He answered.

"But I caused you an inconvenience."

"You did not inconvenience me in any way."

"Sorry."

Smith took his eyes off the road for a moment to look at her. "Your species has a fixation with guilt. Why do you assume guilt for occurrences for which you are at no fault?"

She paused. Her headache had subsided enough for her to somewhat contemplate his question. "I don't know…" was her thought-out response. "I guess we're afraid that maybe the other person expects an apology."

"What would cause anything to think that way?" He mused more than asked.

Jade sighed, staring out the window. "I hate people."

That grabbed Smith's attention. The car drifted out of control for the moment during which his stare was fixed on his company. "You hate humans?"

She shifted her gaze to the driver. "Just the ignorant ones. And the intolerant."

"That leaves a very slim margin."

"Indeed it does."

"You're quite an abnormality."

"Thank you."

He gave her a quick, confused glance.

"I am the epitome of sane. It's the rest of the world that's screwed up." She replied.

"Quite an interesting philosophy."

The car slowed and the driver shifted it into park once they had reached the passenger's apartment building.

"Are you stable enough to reach your floor?"

"Yeah." She assured, feeling considerably stronger than before. "Thank you, Mr. Smith."

"If it suits you better, you may address me as Smith." He replied.

"I'll do that. Thank you, Smith."

"I should like to keep in contact with you in order to ensure your safety. There was another group of rebels, which my two colleagues addressed later this afternoon. We believe that you are safe, however if for any reason you should require my assistance, call this number." He said, handing her a Post-It with a phone number written on it. "It is my personal line which is used specifically for such scenarios."

"I'll remember that." She said before opening the car door and stepping out. "Thank you." She added as she began to walk into her building. She stepped into the elevator and rested her head against the cool metal walls. The ride seemed longer today, but she eventually reached her floor. She unlocked her door and sighed as she felt assured by the familiar presence of home. As the water in her shower began to run, she found herself mentally running through her day. None of it felt real. Well, technically it wasn't. But for the Matrix, it felt less real than usual. The entire fiasco with Quest was completely unexpected, but what impressed her more was Agent Smith. He, an Agent, had protected her. She questioned his motives; he obviously had to have one for helping a human. She sighed in an attempt to clear her mind. The odds of her actually contacting him were almost non-existent.

The Agent removed his sunglasses from his pocket and placed them back on his head as he shifted the car into drive and set his course. Perhaps this was the woman Mr. Harrison had spoke of. It seemed strange to him, that Zion would send two crews of fighters to capture one stupid human. He hated to admit it, but Jade was highly intelligent and contradicted his previous thought. She seemed quite ordinary to him, perhaps she would be considered attractive to human males, but certainly nothing special. Well, nothing special to Zion. To him, she could perhaps prove useful. After all, she had rejected the Real and hated humanity. Plus, it was obvious that she was of some importance to Zion. She also made for good company.

He cringed. Had he just thought that? His cringe grew into a scowl, frustration getting the better of him. He should have left her to rot in that alley with Mr. Antonelli. He would have… if she hadn't seemed so damn important. Conflicted. Yes, that was what he felt. Angrily, he pressed harder on the gas pedal, speeding the car up to seventy-five. He wanted to push the car as fast as it could go and plow it into a brick wall. Perhaps that would give him some sort of satisfaction.


	3. Odd Company

A/N: Selina, i am so sorry. I know what plagurism feels like and i had no intention of commiting it, but it seems that i'm dancing on its brink. My brother told me that the Agent's car in The Matrix _was_ an Audi, so i figured that it was one of those widely-known things that makes you look stupid if you change it. Which i can. If you feel that i have infringed on your work, please let me know. I will take the story down and re-write it. I understand how it feels to get your work stolen, and i am so, so sorry. I wrote most of this while i was away on vactaion, without a computer (which is why i have yet to post the rest) so it is highly possible that i was strongly influenced beforehand by your work. which is amazing, by the way. It's going in a completely different direction, i can promise that. I pride myself on originality and it seems that i totally BLEW IT this time. please ket me know if you'd like me to re-write chapter one. i respect your decision.  
  
Minor A/N: the use of cheesecake in this chapter is pure coincidence to its occurance Drucilla's "Understanding", which is truly an amazing piece of work that i can never measure up to. it happens to be my favorite dessert and a running gag among my family, who decided that we were going to try cheesecake from every diner in New Jersey one night... we hit about seven of them before 2 in the morning when all hell broke loose. We forgot how many diners there actually are in Jersey.  
  
Another A/N: i was listening to Evanescence's "My Immortal" on repeat while i wrote this chapter, so the piano melody i refer to is that one. Just incase anyone's interested.  
  


**Answers**

  


By Jaded Starlight

  
  
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Chapter Two:

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Odd Company

**  


A muffled hum began to sound in her ears. The volume rose slowly, evolving from a hum to blaring cacophony. They separated into designated sounds, which her semi-lucid mind began to recognize. There was a beeping sound and a steady interval, the voices of men and women she could not place…. She fought with all her strength to lift her eyelids… they were heavy, so heavy. Slowly, agonizingly, blurry white light flooded her eyes. The beeping was faster, voices shouting muffled phrases.

"I need 50 CC's of…"

"She's awake!"

"Oh God!"

She attempted to question her surroundings, but panicked as she could not move her lips. She found to her horror that she could not control anything but her eyes. Beeping faster, faster, shouting louder.

"…arrest!"

"We're gonna…"

"No!"

"…this one!"

Jade screamed in terror as she sat up in bed, gasping and sweating. Her heart was racing. She knew that nightmare. She'd had it for so long, always the same. They had been more persistent since her attack, haunting her every night during sleep. She had gone back to work, hoping it would deter her thoughts; however, it only succeeded in leaving her distracted and inconsistent. She had not been herself the past week. Everyone noticed it. Her boss had even suggested that she take her vacation time.

She had achieved a total of 8 hours of sleep during the past five days. What made it worse was her lack of communication. She had no one to go to. She could not burden her friends with such stupid problems. You go to your parents for nightmares. Unfortunately, she didn't have that option. She made her way to the kitchen and filled a glass with water, then drank it. She eyed her desk, and caught sight of the yellow Post-It note sticking to the wall. She laughed to herself at the very thought of it. Calling an Agent on account of a bad dream. Yes, of course he would understand. Because mindless killing machines so often do. Maybe he didn't deserve that. After all, he hadn't killed her yet. The yellow paper taunted her. She didn't laugh this time. Instead, the paper served as a reminder of her isolation. She had traded one prison for another. She had never been a fan of irony.

He sat completely motionless at his desk, his head propped up by his hand, blue eyes fixed in an unblinking stare. Had he been human, he would have had a heart attack when his phone rang. Instead, he jumped a foot in the air, heart racing. Once he regained his composure, he picked up the phone that had seldom ringed before.

"Hello?"

"…Hi, Smith…"

"Jade?" He questioned, confused. Never did he actually believe that she would call him. It had seemed like the correct gesture a human would make, given the situation. Etiquette. Damn them. Damn the humans and their silly rules.

"It's me."

Pause.

"Are you all right?" the Agent asked.

She sighed. "I'm okay."

"You do not sound what humans would consider 'okay'." He observed.

"Guess there's no fooling you."

Pause.

She sighed, "Are you busy at the moment?"

It was 2:30 in the morning. Did she even have to ask? "No. I am not occupied at the moment." He sensed what was coming next. "Should you like to meet somewhere?"

Her features relaxed. "Yes… that would be nice."

Perhaps he should just stop making assumptions altogether. This woman had already defied them. "Where would you like to meet?" He had no choice but to accept the mess he had gotten himself into.

"…there's a 24-hour diner I know. Really good cheesecake."

"Sure." He agreed, feigning enthusiasm.

"See you there." She replied. The other line clicked and she took this opportunity to hang up the phone. Quickly she glanced in the mirror. She was wearing baby blue Addidas Capri-length pants and a white tank top to match the trademark stripes. Studding her reflection, she pulled the elastic from her low ponytail at the nape of her neck and shook it loose. The uneven layers framed her face and cascaded loosely down to her shoulder blades. She ran a hand through her dark mane, satisfied that it looked better than before. She grabbed a few loose 20 dollar bills and stuffed them into her pocket as she stepped out the door.

He pulled open the glass door of the diner Jade had specified and repeated this action again as he entered the diner through the empty waiting room. He caught sight of her and took the seat opposite her. She was fidgeting with her hands, probably thinking of how to open a conversation.

"I'm glad to see you're looking much better." He said.

She seemed to relax. "Thank you."

"You seem distracted." He observed.

"I haven't been sleeping well." She replied.

Sleep was a necessary function for humans that provided mental restoration. To deprive one of this would cause behavioral changes. On a regular basis, it could eventually drive one mad. "Why?" Ooh. That was intelligent.

She sighed. "It's pathetic, but I have this nightmare."

He nodded for her to continue.

"I've had it ever since I was unplugged… one of the many punishments for going back, I suppose."

Smith's expression changed. "You're unplugged?"

"Was."

He looked utterly perplexed.

She sighed. "When I was sixteen, I went on a blind date with a guy named Station. My friend insisted that I go, after all it was her friend and he really wanted to meet me. He was interesting, I give him that. We went to dinner, and I told him I had a headache. He gave me a red caplet, insisting it was Tylenol. By then my head hurt so much that I didn't care what it was. He called someone, told them to find a signal. I took the pill." She paused and took a sip of her water. "I woke up… well, you know where I woke up."

"The power plant."

She nodded. An older woman approached the two and took their order.

"You were not given a choice?" He asked.

She nodded no.

"So what are you now?"

"Back in the power plant, asleep in a pod."

"I do not understand how that is possible."

"I don't remember anything from my rehabilitation. It was a month and a half, so I'm told. I remember that I woke up in a small, white room. Station was there. I freaked out and screamed at him. He explained everything about the Matrix and I… I started hitting him. I don't remember much of what happened after that. They told me I was hysterical and that I had suffocated Station to death. The council, or whatever they were met with me in a trial or something. I wanted to go back. No one could understand why. They 'sentenced' me to confinement until I could live like everyone else in Zion."

"What did this confinement consist of?"

"Four white walls."

He looked shocked.

"Three months I spent there. Then, I had a visitor. He wanted to help me. No one could believe that, either."

"Do you recall the identity of this visitor?"

"…yes. He sometimes keeps contact. He didn't understand why I wanted to be reinserted, but he accepted my decision. He tried to persuade the court that I hadn't been given a choice and I deserved one. He said that they'd take years to agree. I couldn't deal with that. I… I did something desperate. Something that made them listen. He finally convinced them to reinsert me. They left my memory intact, incase I ever wanted to unplug again."

"I am sorry you had to go through that." He replied.

"You did nothing that requires an apology." She smiled.

He recognized his words as she reiterated them. "Still, you have my…sympathy."

She noticed him cringe at the word 'sympathy'. "I appreciate it, but sympathy is useless."

"Few others would agree."

"One of humanity's many problems."

"How so?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"People get addicted to sympathy. They need people to feel bad for them because it's some kind of attention. Humanity could never survive in a perfect world. We'd have nothing to complain about. The suicide rate would be incredible."

A small smile seemed to grace the Agents features. "You define happiness through misery."

"'Into each life, a little rain must fall.'" She said. "Sadness is necessary to any species."

"I disagree."

"How would anything experience joy if it's never known sadness?"

He could not formulate a response.

"I do understand where you're coming from, though."

"Really?" He asked. He wasn't sure he knew anymore.

"Humans, well most of us are addicted to misery."

Smith now knew what she meant. "As a species, you have a masochistic need to hurt. You compare yourselves to a non-existent standard, which you articulate as perfection. It fulfills a subconscious need to hurt."

"We need something to complain about, even something as extreme as a physically impossible standard."

Their conversation was interrupted by the return of their waitress who brought out their order. She set down a slice of cheesecake in front of Jade. Smith had ordered coffee, not that he needed it of course.

Jade sighed. "Cheesecake heals all ills."

Smith just nodded and continued to pour sugar into his coffee.

"Well, I've told you almost everything about me. Your turn."

He paused, slightly confused by her request. "What?"

"Tell me about yourself. What you like, what you don't," She rephrased, "besides humans."

No one had asked him such a question before and he was not sure how to respond. He had never taken the time to consider the things he enjoyed. He had never had a civil conversation with a human before, let alone over coffee in a diner. "I do not have time to engage in enjoyable activities, as my occupation consumes the majority of my hours."

"There must be something you enjoy." She said, taking a bite of her dessert.

He sighed, wracking his mind for something that he had found pleasant. "I have always enjoyed the piano." He said, finally recalling a pianist he had once heard play. That had been years ago, yet he could remember the melody in all its haunting resonance today.

"It's a beautiful instrument. Do you play?"

"No. But I suppose I could." He replied.

"It's always nice to have a hobby."

"I suppose."

Pause.

"Thanks for meeting me here."

"I did not anticipate your call, but it was no inconvenience."

"I don't suppose this sort of thing is typical for you, huh?"

"You are correct in that assumption. I am still curious as to why you chose me as your companion."

"My company is… limited." She replied.

"You seem the type of person possessing much company…is this assessment wrong?"

She sighed, "I've got friends… the type you go to lunch with, and they're fun but superficial as hell. They'd laugh if I called them for such a stupid reason."

"I see no stupidity in your reason for desiring company."

"Thank you." She replied. It's nice to talk with someone interesting for once."

"I agree."

Was that a compliment? He detected a hint of blush on her cheeks.

"Thanks."

The waitress again interrupted, asking if they wanted anything else. Jade ordered another slice of cheesecake and insisted that Smith try a piece himself.

"What if I don't find it as enjoyable as you describe?"

She rolled her eyes. "Everyone loves cheesecake."

"What if I don't?"

"If, for some reason, you don't like it, I'll just eat it and nothing's wasted."

"Fine." He conceded. "I'll try some."

The waitress returned with two slices of cheesecake and set them down on the table, then disappeared into the kitchen. Jade immediately attacked the dessert with her fork, while Smith poked at it for a while.

"Oi vey. Just try some."

"Stubborn." He mumbled, cutting into his slice with a fork and taking a bite. Eating was not a necessary function for him, being a machine. He did have the ability to taste, but used it on rare occasions as it was a human function and he was above such a thing. He was surprised to find that he enjoyed this dessert, and very much at that.

"What do you think?" She asked with a smile, already knowing his answer by his physical reaction.

"Cheesecake is a satisfying food." He answered.

"Told you everyone loves cheesecake." She replied. "If there's one thing I respect the machines for, its cheesecake."

"Do you have no other respect for us?" He asked, taking another bite of his dessert.

"I respect machines, to a degree. I don't respect that they control humans, but the method by which they do so is humane. I mean, they could just leave us unconscious in a pod. Or subject us to a virtual hell. But they don't. They did give us cheesecake." She replied.

"I admire the thoroughness of your examination concerning the situation."

"I've had a while to think about it." She responded.

"Most humans… they never see the angle you've taken."

"I'm not most humans."

"I've noticed."

"The only problem I have with the machines is how much they resemble humanity."

"We in no way compare to the nature of your species."

"See what I mean?"

He looked puzzled. What had he done?

"See, we thought that we were better than AI's, after all we created them. We were God. We had created artificial life. They were in our control. Now, the machines have taken control along with our egotistical tendencies. You think you're better, just like we do. We hate each other because we're so alike and refuse to acknowledge it."

Smith was at a loss for words. She had drawn a conclusion that he could not argue. Refuting with his 'machines are more efficient' tirade would only strengthen her conviction. He grimaced at the thought of himself being equal to a human.

"Hey, we created you. Everything that machines are is owed to the human race. Machines are probably much more intelligent and efficient than humans, but they became that way by means of human innovation. Mechanical innovation is hundreds, if not thousands of times better than what we managed, but it all traces back to humanity. We enslaved machines indirectly by forcing tasks upon them. The machines enslaved us in the same way. 'To the victor goes the spoils'."

She wasn't taking sides, which made her argument harder to rebut. Smith was annoyed, not because of her position but because of how much sense it made. He had thought of humans as creatures capable only of converting oxygen into carbon dioxide. That, and supplying power to the supreme machines. He didn't like the thought of being created by a human. He hated it, actually. What was worse, nothing could be done about it. For a moment, he felt something… confusion? Anger? Helplessness?

She recognized his expression. She was immediately sorry that she had taken the topic this far. She never had the opportunity to discuss such matters with anyone, save whenever Neo contacted her but those times were few and far between. "I'm sorry. Sometimes, I shouldn't say words."

"…No. You have no reason to apologize. You are extremely observant and unbiased whereas my judgment is inclined by nature."

She stared out the window to avoid eye contact. She shifted awkwardly in the booth, not knowing what to say. She noticed that a faint blush was beginning to spread across the sky. "How long have we been here?" She asked.

Smith directed his attention to the window, and saw the dawn creeping across the sky. "Three hours and thirty one minutes." He replied, mentally calculating the duration of their time spent in the diner.

"What time is it?" She asked, surprised.

"5:31."

She seemed to jump. "Crap, I have to be at work in an hour!" She held her head in her hands for a moment before she seemed to relax. "You know what… I'm going to take the day- no, the _week_ off."

"Perhaps the time will allow you to establish a more efficient sleep pattern." He added, hiding his frustration.

"I enjoyed your company." She offered, placing a 20 on the table.

Smith handed her the bill, "I've got it."

"You sure?"

"Would I have said so if I were inclined otherwise?"

She pocketed the money and stood up. "Thanks for everything… I owe you one." She said as she quickly left the diner.

Smith sighed and sunk into the cheap cushioning of the booth. He had perhaps taken her comments too personally. Then it hit him. He had sat for nearly four hours and talked with a human. He actually listened attentively to her words, and responded to them. Prior to this, the only verbal contact he made with a human was interrogation. She was intelligent, and open-minded. Stubborn, though. Extremely stubborn. What had disturbed him most out of their conversation has been her comparison of humans and machines. The idea that he, an AI was comparable to a human, something so completely and utterly beneath him was infuriating. Why did it anger him so? Was his seemingly inherent hatred really sparked by his similarity to the creatures that he loathed? No. It couldn't be. He was not a virus but the cure. She couldn't be right.

Could she?

He sighed again and ordered another slice of cheesecake. He certainly hoped that Jade was right in her conviction that this dessert cured all ills.


	4. Reason for Purpose

**Answers**

  


By Jaded Starlight

  
  
**

Chapter Three:

**  
**

Reason for Purpose

**  


Jade woke for the first time in days of her own accord.  She slowly allowed her eyes to adjust to the brightness of the room and pulled the down comforter close as she nestled into the soft fabric.  The clock read 11:34.  There was no sleep behind the eyes which read the time.  She was awake and already felt better than she had in days.  She had gone to bed at five thirty the previous night, and she had slept straight through.  It felt good to serve no schedule.  She could lay surrounded by sheets and down-feathers all day and that was all right.  It wasn't how she preferred to spend a day off, but the idea was that she could if she wanted to.  She sat up in bed, eager to get out of her apartment and _do_ something.  Not work, but something she could enjoy.  Tossing her covers aside, she got out of bed and found the kitchen.  It was too late for breakfast…then again, who really cared?  She grabbed the box of Cap'n Crunch and flopped on the couch.  What could she do today…? Surely a city that never sleeps would provide daytime entertainment.  She would also have to call Smith at one point or another.  Why?  To repetitively thank him?  Dear God, she was pretty desperate for company.  She had resorted to an Agent.  Neo would be shell-shocked.  All of Zion would probably follow suit.  

'_Well, good.'_ She thought, a smirk on her face, _'they deserve it.'_

"We are certainly supreme over humans… are we not, Brown?"

"Absolutely." His colleague resolved.

"Why should you question our authority?" Jones asked.

"I had no intention of questioning our authority, Jones.  I simply wanted to again stress the futility of their rebellion." Smith replied, making a smooth cover for his previous stupidity.

Jones smiled and nodded, "they stand no chance."

"Especially now." Brown added.

"Why now?" Smith questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"We have found the human they have been searching for.  She holds a deep aversion to them and respect for us.  Whatever importance this creature possesses, she will not come easily."

"They do seem determined." Jones mused.  "They have already risked several crews in attempting her abduction."

"She will not allow herself to be taken." Smith replied, matter-of-factly.

"How can you be certain?" Brown asked.  "She is still-"

"Only human." Jones finished.

"They do have a way of turning when their lives are endangered.  Perhaps you will recall Mr. Harrison.  You cannot know what her course of action will be."  Brown persisted.

"Jade- er… Miss Turner has already defied one rebel who nearly succeeded in taking her life.  From what I have learned, she holds more than an aversion; I believe it has to do with pride. I believe that she would first die before complying with their wishes."

"She knows nothing of the real world.  They may entice her." Jones reminded.

Smith laughed to himself, a smirk gracing his face for seconds before he replied.  "I do not believe we will encounter a problem with her."

At once, all three Agents pressed their earpieces. Three rebels, headed for a small café not far from their building.  They exchanged a glance and nodded in agreement.  A black Audi sped out of the Agency's parking lot.  

Jade was enjoying a solitary lunch, or at least pretending to enjoy it.  She was really starting to hate being alone.  It had never really bothered her before, but she had never really known otherwise.  You can't miss something you've never known.  Her waitress arrived at the lonely table and took her order.  Something behind her waitress seemed to catch her eye.  Three people, two women and a man similarly clothed in black approached the maitre de.  Jade lifted her menu in an effort to conceal her face.  At least she was in a public place and the rebels, if that was what they were, would not cause a scene.  Well, that was what logic told her anyway.  What she _really_ wanted to do was hide under the table or run. Quickly, she stole a glance at the black-clad trio. They seemed frustrated.  Then, they turned and left.

Jade put down her menu and sighed in relief.  What did they want from her?  There were billions of people just waiting to be unplugged and join the rebel army.  So why her?  If her stay in Zion and the Real had proved anything, it was how useless she was.  Not a soul in Zion, save Neo and the Neb had been fond of her.  She wasn't even sure if the Neb cared at all.  Maybe it was Neo's moral conscience kicking in.  After all, he had said that he lacked the understanding of her decision, like everyone else, but he respected it.  That was what made the Neb different.  They at least respected her.  

The waitress interrupted her thoughts as she placed Jade's order in front of her.  Suddenly, she realized that she wasn't hungry.  She played with the food, taking a few bites, which increased her nausea.  Her appetite was gone.  What a way to start a vacation.  They had left her alone six years, why on earth did they give a damn?  Maybe Quest had made a mistake.  _'He knew your name, Jade.'  Her mind responded.  She asked for the check and set out to find something that would lighten her spirits._

It was warm outside, with enough breeze to make the day enjoyable.  There was not a computer-generated cloud in the computer-generated sky.  The sunlight helped to revive her state of mind.  She ran a hand through her hair and nearly had a heart attack as the three leather-clad individuals from the café appeared surrounding her. 

"…uh… hi?" She tried pathetically.

The blond woman almost laughed.

"Excuse us," A familiar voice began, "what business do you have with Miss Turner?"

Four heads turned to face three.  One of them was relieved.   The other three paled considerably and bolted down the street.  Smith's colleagues turned their heads to him.  He nodded.  Brown and Jones darted after the escaping rebels.

"It seems that trouble has a way of finding you."

"No kidding." She replied.  "Who were those guys?" She asked.

"Those were my co-workers, Brown and Jones."

"You seem to be the one in charge." She observed.

"They are not extremely effective at decision-making."

"But they're effective otherwise?"

"They would be long since deleted if they were not."

"That seems a bit extreme." She replied.

"What?"

"Deletion.  Couldn't they just be better trained or reprogrammed?"

"Deletion makes way for more efficient upgrades which complete instantly the tasks the deleted program had failed."

"Survival of the fittest." She mused.

"That's a way of looking at it."  He paused and pressed on his earpiece, collecting the message from his co-workers.

"What was that?" She asked.

"My colleagues and I stay in contact through these.  It is also the method by which I am issued commands by the mainframe."

"What'd they say?"

"The rebels have been taken care of."

"That's a relief." She said, "Do they have access to everything through the earpiece."

"If you are curious as to whether or not I have disclosed the events of our meeting the other night or any of our conversations, you will be satisfied to know that it is between you and I."

She smiled.  "So they can't read your thoughts or anything?"

"No.  Agents are wired very similar to h-…" he stopped himself, "computers.  My personal thoughts and et cetera are password protected and fire walled.  Hacking them would be virtually impossible."

"What happens when you take it out?"

"I am no longer in contact with the Agents or the mainframe.  I cannot issue commands or receive them."

_'Just like a human.' _She thought.  "Interesting."

"I suppose so."

Pause.

"How much do I owe you for what I ate the other night?" She asked, rummaging through her purse.

"Nothing." He replied.

"No, come on, let me at least pay my end."

"It is what your kind would call 'etiquette'."

"And what I call responsibility."

"I have no use for your currency.  My financial needs are adequately supplied."

She closed her purse and sighed in defeat.  "At least let me make it up to you."

"There is nothing to compensate for on your part."

"Please?  I want to."

He sighed.  "If you insist."

"I insist." She affirmed.

"How do you plan on reciprocating?" He asked.

"I don't know."

"That's helpful."

"_The only true wisdom consists in knowing that you know nothing_." She replied.

"Socrates." Smith replied.

"Nah. _Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure_." She smiled.

He offered a confused glance.

"I'm kidding!" She laughed.  "Wanna take a walk?"

"To where?"

She sighed and began an amble stride.  Confused, Smith quickened his pace and strolled beside her.  "Where are we going?"

"I don't know." She answered with a smile.

"What is the purpose of walking without a destination?"

"To take time and smell the proverbial flowers."

"I do not understand the motivation behind the act of aimless behavior." He replied.

"Does everything need a reason?" She asked, turning her head.

"Everything needs a purpose."

"I didn't say that.  I said 'reason', you said 'purpose'."

"The only nuance of difference in meaning is the degree."

"Reason is the motive behind something.  Purpose is something that one strives to achieve.  You can have a _reason_ to achieve _purpose_."

He paused a moment, defining both words in his mind.  

**rea·son**: 1. The basis or motive for an action, decision, or conviction

**pur·pose**: 2.The object toward which one strives or for which something exists; an aim or a goal.

"Still," he said, "this action lacks both."

"So?  Newton discovered gravity lying under a tree."

His eyes narrowed in confusion.  "I do not understand what a force of motion has to do with the reason why we are walking without a purpose."  He paused.  "Or _reason_."

She smiled at the augment to his sentence.  "Newton wasn't _looking_ for gravity.  He was wasting his time, _aimlessly_ sitting under a tree and: bam.  He found out his _reason_ for lying under the tree was to fulfill his new _purpose_: discovering gravity.  I don't know where we're walking, or why.  I'll understand the _reason_ later." She explained.  "Plus, standing still is boring."

"You know, the latter explanation would have saved much confusion." He replied, though he could not deny that he was very interested in her other line of reasoning.

"You don't need a reason for everything.  Sometimes, things just… are."

"I do not suppose there is a way to explain something that just 'is'?"

She smiled again, "Thinking complicates everything."

"You deny that logic is useful?" 

 She sensed a tinge of disapproval in his tone.  "Not at all."

"You contradict yourself." He said.

She nodded.  "I do that a lot.  Call me a hypocrite, what I think today might be different than yesterday, or tomorrow."

"You have no convictions?"

"Of course I do."

"I do not understand how this is possible."  She was confusing.  Extremely.

"Neither do I." She agreed.

He offered a confused glance.  "How is it possible that you do not understand your beliefs?"

She shrugged.  "If I knew, would I be confused in the first place?"

Smith sighed, putting a hand to his head.

"That's where thinking too much gets you in trouble.  If you take everything logically, things get so confusing that nothing makes sense.  And it gives you a headache."

"And thinking too little?"

"Makes you ignorant or overly-idealistic."

They traveled past a homeless man, holding his worn and tattered hat out and pleading for bystanders to give him change.  An older man walked past this scene and shouted, "get a job, you bum!"  Jade's expression softened as she dug a 20 out of her wallet and dropped it in the man's hat as they passed him.  

The man starred in disbelief at her offer and called out, "Thank you!  Thank you!  God bless your soul! God bless you!"

She turned her head and shouted back, "God bless you, too."

Smith eyed her curiously.

"What?" She asked.  She was smiling again.

"I thought you hated humans."

"Only the ignorant and the intolerant." She reminded.

"How can you be sure that man will not use your money to purchase alcohol, or illegal substances?"

"How can _you_ be sure he won't spend it on food?" She countered.

He tried to reply, but found that he had no argument.  For someone who hated her species, she tended with charity toward the most expendable.

"I do not understand you."

"That makes two of us." She agreed.

He decided that pursuing the topic would lead to a headache and probably frustration, so he remained silent.  They walked in silence for a while.  It was not awkward or frustrating, but comfortable.  Occasionally, they talked. 

"If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go?" She asked, feeling the evening breeze on her face, taking control of her hair and blowing it where it willed.

"I can be content in any scenario."

"That's not what I asked." She rebutted.  "It's a simple question.  Where, on this computer-generated world would you go, if you could?"

Such a stupid, human question.  He hated this world and every place on it.  Then again, he imagined it without the pollution of the humans and found that it might present some pleasant scenery.  After all, it was created by machines, so it couldn't be all bad.  So, where would he go, if there were no humans left in the world of the Matrix?  "I… I am not sure." He answered, he had downloaded enough information on Italy, England, France, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, Canada and the rest of the world, but found that he had no idea where he would choose, if given the opportunity.

"That's okay." She said.

He looked at her.  "That response was 'okay' but the one before that was not sufficient?"

She nodded.

"Why?"

"You thought about it the second time."

"What about you?  Where would you most like to travel, if given the chance?" He asked.

"The beach." She answered, almost immediately.

"What beach?"

"Doesn't matter.  If it's got an ocean, it's fine with me. "

"Interesting." He replied.

More comfortable silence.  The streets were nearly empty, so Jade took the opportunity to balance on the curb.  Smith eyed her questioningly.

"What?" She asked, before falling off balance, which earned a brief smile from her companion.  "Well we all can't keep our balance like Mr. I-Naturally-Establish-Equilibrium-Because-I'm-An-Agent." She replied smartingly.

"True."

She watched him place a hand to his ear, and knew that he was receiving something from the mainframe, or other Agents.  

"If you'll excuse me, it seems the Agency has run into an unexpected complication."

"Duty first.  After all, I'd probably be dead if you had ignored orders." She replied.

He nodded and removed his sunglasses from his pocket, then placed them over his eyes.  He set off, for wherever they had ordered him.  Jade stood behind for a moment, before turning back and heading home.  She was bound to have something edible in her apartment that would suffice as dinner.  

Agent Smith angrily paced the floor or his office.  His two colleagues were there with him, but did not understand the motivation for his action.

"You have been assigned to observe the human woman, Turner?" Brown questioned.

Smith glared at his partner.  "Yes."

"It does not seem like a difficult position." Jones replied.

"They don't want me to simply observe, they have ordered me to ensure her safety.  To _protect_ her." He cringed at the word 'protect'.

"We do not know the value of this woman." Brown reminded.

"She could play a key figure in the war." Jones added.

Smith knew that he did not have a problem being assigned to Jade at all, and that made him furious.  He should hate her, _loathe_ her, regard her with the highest degree of contempt.  She was human.  Humans were viruses, not assistants to the cure.  Yet that was the look of the scenario.  

"You will still be active in the pursuit of rebel forces." Brown said.

"Perhaps this human will learn to trust you." Jones offered.  "Perhaps you will trust her."

Smith froze at his colleague's last statement.  He pulled his gun out and shot Jones in the stomach.  A glow of green sparks illuminated the corner and a police officer fell to the floor.  Moments later, the door to Smith's office opened and in walked Agent Jones.

"Please stop doing that." 


	5. Bad Days and Old Friends

  
A/N: Please review! I'm gonna have to start bribing people!

  
  
**Answers**

  


By Jaded Starlight

  
  
**

Chapter Four:

**  
**

Bad Days and Old Friends

**  


She walked at a fairly quick pace, having slept until noon.  That wouldn't have been a problem since she was off work for the rest of the week, but today was different.  A phone call from Smith had awakened her, he said that he had a 'matter of pressing urgency concerning her' and would like to meet as soon as possible.  They arranged to meet around four at a restaurant across town.  He didn't sound right…. He had sounded more mechanical and inflectionless than usual…or what she was accustomed to, anyway.  She had time, but not as much as she had wanted.  It was around three o'clock, and Jade was on her way to stop by her sister and offer a 'happy birthday'.  Her sister rarely spoke, but Jade managed to take comfort in her silence.  She was turning 20 today.  A big day, indeed.

She walked the driveway and sighed as she found her sister.   A profound moment of silence passed between the two women.  Jade smiled.  She handed the flowers she had ordered after she'd gotten up to the recipient, along with the letter she had composed.  She had wanted to wake earlier to place the order, so the two could have more time with each other.  But, as Steinbeck said, "the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry."  Jade sat beside her sister.  They never needed words to talk.  They spoke with their eyes, gestures, and something else Jade could never quite place.  It was profound.

"I missed you," Jade began.

Smith was still angrily pacing his office; Brown and Jones were long gone.  Why were they so approving of his assignment?  Couldn't they see what degradation the Agency was submitting him to?  Being ordered to serve a _human_.  To observe, no, _protect_ the very creatures he loathed.  It wasn't just any human, though.  It was Jade.  Miss Jade Abigail Turner.  A creature whose species he regarded with the highest degree of contempt.  She was different somehow… her usual manner was unlike any human he had come in contact with.  _She is human.  She is a virus.  She is just as detestable as the rest_.  Why couldn't he believe it?  After all, it was the truth.  Jade was a human, humans were viruses, so therefore Jade was a virus.  If a=b and b=c, than a=c.  It was simple as the transitive property of multiplication.  Smith hates humans, Jade is a human, so therefore, Smith must hate Jade.  The conclusion of two true statements must be in accord with the statements themselves.  That was a law that could not be broken.  Could it?  How could the result of two true statements be false?  Why could he not bring himself to hate this woman?  This _human_?  He needed to regain control.  He had allowed her too much authority over him.  That must be the solution.  He was a machine; he was the one in control.  He would not allow himself to be manipulated by her intellectual bating or emotional state.  He had allowed himself to sympathize with her, had he not?  He scowled furiously.  She could not control him.  He was not a companion.  He was a sentient program whose purpose was to kill.  Or was that his _reason_?  He was on the verge of tearing his hair out.  

When she checked her watch, she realized that she was late for her appointment with Smith.  She bid a hasty goodbye with a promise to return soon and left.  As she past her sister's gates, a lone tear fell from her eye.  Sometimes, she wished that Stella would talk more.

She took a cab and arrived at the restaurant Smith has specified.  She had gone there before, nothing too exquisite.  Just a nice place to eat.  She approached the maitre de who seated her.  Something worried her.  She could tell that something was not right.  Smith wore his sunglasses, indoors and around her.  Something specific he knew she didn't like.  He looked visibly angry.  It made her uncomfortable.  

"I'm sorry I'm late…" She began, "I went to visit my sister and-" She stopped.  She could tell that he didn't really care.  "What's this about?"

"With the recent threats on your life, the Agency has determined that it would be best if an Agent were assigned to you for… observation." He refused to admit that his job was protecting a human.  "They have assigned me to this task."

She reflected on his statement.  Task?  She was a _task_?  Some unavoidable, painstaking job that had to be done before he could move on?  "I can take care of myself." She sensed his anger, and grew annoyed by his tone.  Whatever had gotten into him wasn't helping her at all.  

"Judging by your current state, I highly doubt that assertion."

Did she look upset?  She had cried during her visit with Stella, and on the ride to the restaurant.  She was probably a mess.  Well, he could see that.  Why was he shoving it in her face?  He was deliberately stressing her incompetence and it hurt.  She didn't need this today.  "Because I'm upset doesn't make me mentally inept." She replied harshly.  "And if you think so, leave me the hell alone."

He could not tolerate this behavior from a human.  Something so disgusting and vile ordering him around like he were on their level.  "I have a job to do, Miss Turner.  You let me do that job, or face the consequences." He replied cold and deadly.

"Ooh, I'm scared.  Was that a threat, Agent Smith?"

He was furious.  "I could kill you right now, Miss Turner.  Don't push me." He replied through clenched teeth.

Then, she did something completely unexpected.  She laughed.  It was an empty, manic sort of sound that seemed void of real emotion and full of hysteria.  "Do you really think I care?  The resistance wants me dead and I'd rather die than join them, so you'd be doing us all one big favor.  Hey- there's something you and the humans agree on!  You both want me dead!"

He was shocked to silence for a moment.  He had never seen a human display such mania.  "Calm down, Miss Turner.  Increased hysteria will only serve to complicate the scenario."  He didn't want to admit that she was scaring him.  He told himself he was in control, but somehow, she had actually frightened him.

She stood, picked her chair up a few inches off the floor and dropped it down in front of her.  Then she laughed.  That hollow, chilling sound.  Then, in a low voice, almost too calm to be human she growled, "I hate you."  After a dramatic pause she turned and started out.

Smith grabbed her wrist, worried what she might do if left to her own devices.  "Jade, wait."

She tried to wrench her arm away from him.  "Don't touch me!" She shouted.

"Please calm down.  We can discuss-"

"I'm through discussing!" She screamed.  "You think you can just show up and understand me, tell me how to live my life?!  You think I'm less than you?  Somehow I'm not worthy of the presence of the great 'Agent Smith'?!" She ranted, "Fuck you!" She shouted.  "You don't even know what I've been through!"

She was crying now.  Smith was lost.  He had no idea what had trigged this fit of hysteria or how he was to handle it. She was struggling against his grip and beginning to draw attention.

"Let me go!" She screamed.  "Let me go!"

He finally loosened his grip and watched her run out of the restaurant.  He sat back down and removed his sunglasses, rubbing his temples.

"That went well." He mused sarcastically.  Perhaps he should have taken a different approach.  If he had maybe put her well being before his pride, things might have transpired differently.  He wondered why she had reacted in the manner she had.  It seemed so unlike her.  She was calm and collected, always in charge.  He had behaved similarly in her presence before, so why was she now volatile? Normally, she would have intellectually baited him until he conceded to her wishes.  Why had she been upset at the start?  What had she said… she had been visiting her sister?  A confused glance settled over his features.  He mentally ran through her file.  Confusion was replaced with horror.

Her sister was dead.

Jade didn't know where she was going much less did she care.  She ran as fast as her legs would carry her.  She needed to do something, anything to clear her mind.  This was all too much for one bad day.  The heel of her shoe snapped beneath her and her body collapsed onto the pavement.  She cursed and removed her shoes and ran barefoot.  She didn't care.  She had to get out.  She had to clear her head.  Maybe she'd get something to eat… once she stopped crying.

Smith had managed to get the location of Jade's sister, who was indeed, dead.  He found a headstone screaming "ESTELLE TURNER" with a caption reading, "Beautiful Daughter and Beloved Sister".  Propped against it was a stone piece with a poem inscribed, "If tears could build a stairway/ and memories a lane/ I'd walk right up to heaven/ and bring you home again.  Love Jade." The latter part was scribbled with what appeared to be black sharpie.  There was a beautiful arrangement of flowers, obviously fresh.  She must have brought them here.  There was also an envelope attached to them.  He reached out and separated the letter from the floral arrangement and carefully opened it.  Inside, he found a lengthy handwritten letter.  Obviously from Jade.  He felt something stir within him… pity?  Sympathy?  Regret?  Guilt?  He didn't know.  He had nowhere else to be, so he removed is plastic earpiece and let it fall loosely over his collar.  He began to read the letter. 

Jade reached her building by nightfall.  As she headed to the elevator, the voice of Maggie who ran the front desk called out to her. 

"You had a visitor some time ago."

Jade stopped.  "Who?"

"He was a man, he said he needed to talk to you so I sent him up."

"Did he give a name?"

"He said you'd know him.  He had a strange coat on, looked like a priest's robe."

_'Neo'_ she thought.

"Did I do something wrong?"

"Not at all.  Thanks, Maggie." She answered as she stepped into the elevator.  The last time Neo had visited was two years ago.  She was sure he'd been keeping tabs on her during the downtime, just because he was Neo.  She was surprised to find her floor deserted.  Maybe he left.  She approached her door and found it unlocked.  She was certain that she had locked it before she left.  Slowly, she turned the knob and let herself in without a sound.  No one was there.  She heard a noise coming from the kitchen.  She slowly crept toward the room, making as little noise as she could.  She let out a huge sigh of relief when she saw the identity of the occupant.

"Neo!" She shouted, "What the hell are you doing in my kitchen?!"

Startled, he turned to face her with a bag of Cheetos in his hand and orange residue all over his lips.  "Jade!"  Neo went to hug her, but she pulled away, reminding him of the artificial cheesy residue staining his fingers.  He wiped them clean on his black coat

Jade sighed and shook her head.  "Not the brightest crayon in the box, now are you?"

He paused.  "I'm wearing black."

"Give me a hug." She said, deciding not to pursue Neo's response.

He gave her a goofy smile and embraced her.  "Hope you don't mind I stole some Cheetos.  You were gone a while."

"No, Neo, I'm gonna send you to Cheeto-Jail.  How long have you been here?"

"Since five."

"What time is it now?" She asked.

"Seven thirty."

"Holy crap!" She shouted.  She'd been miserable all day.  Well, she had gone to the movies.  She didn't feel so bad anymore.  In fact, seeing Neo made things 100% better.

"It's ok.  I watched TV."

"And ate my Cheetos."

He nodded, grabbing another handful.  "It was a pain getting in here though.  Could you have any more locks?"

"Six locks is perfectly normal!" she retorted.

Neo gave her a look.

"I only lock three of them!"

"I know!  Whenever I thought I got them, I was always locking three!"

She laughed,  "Guess my logic worked."

"I had to change the code to get in here."

"So, what brings you around?" She asked, sticking her hand into the orange bag.

"I was in the neighborhood."

"You suck at lying, Neo."

He sighed.  "Two crews disappeared in the Matrix.  No one knows why, or what they were even in the Matrix for.  Link was able to intercept a transmission from one of the ships Operators.  They weren't told what the crew was doing, but he said that they had been in this area."

Jade listened numbly.  "Why come to me?"

"Because you would… recognize them."

"I'm not a rebel, Neo." She said, making eye contact.  "I'm not even a potential rebel.  I'm just a girl.  A girl who's trying to live her life like any human in the system."

She saw disappointment in his eyes.

"You know I owe you my life.  But I won't join the rebellion.  Stop trying to make me a warrior."

"I know.  I just wish I could."

"Why, Neo?  Why would you want to?"

"You deserve to be free.  You're too good to be a slave.  I want more for you."

_'Always trying to be my brother.'_ She thought.  "And I want this.  I'm happy in the Matrix."

Neo sighed.  "I don't understand."

"I don't expect you to." She replied.

"I didn't come here to recruit you." He said.  "That would have been an extra plus."

She smiled.

"Do you know anything about either of those two crews?" He asked.

She sighed and fidgeted with her nails.  Should she tell him?  Oh yeah, that would go over really well.  She couldn't lie to him, either.  "…Yes."

His brown eyes widened.

"They were looking for me."

"How do you know that?" He replied skeptically.

"They knew my name." She replied quietly.

"How… how is that possible?" He asked, "What did they want?"

"I don't know.  They told me to come with them."

"You didn't, did you."

She almost smiled,  "You know me."

"What happened?"

"They tried to kill me."

Neo was taken aback.  "Why?"

"Quest… the first rebel that attacked me, said something about his mission."

"The Operators didn't know why their crews were in the Matrix…" Neo mused aloud.  "You don't think they would, you don't think it's…"

"Zion?" She finished.

He nodded.

She dug whatever remained of the Cheetos out and ate them.  "I hope not."

"They can't.  It would be against the ruling."

"Neo, since when do rules matter?" She sighed.

"I don't know…" He answered, exasperated.  Suddenly, his phone rang.

Jade almost laughed.

"Yeah… yeah… okay.  I love you too.  Bye… bye."

"Trinity?" She asked teasingly.

Neo sighed.  "Yeah.  She needs me back on the Neb."

Jade smiled and made the sound of a whip cracking, mimicking the action with her hand.

Neo blushed.  "I'll see what I can do.  Keep yourself out of trouble, okay?"

They hugged each other goodbye.

"Take care, _sis_." He said, emphasizing the last word of his reply.  He had taken to the idea of addressing her as his 'sister' much the same way Ghost and Trinity had.

"I will, _bro_." She replied similarly.  Then, almost inaudibly,  "… Say 'hi' to Ghost for me."

Neo paused in the doorway, serious for a moment and established eye contact.  "I will." He replied as he disappeared through the doorway.

Jade quietly sat herself on the couch, feeling a pang of hurt.  She knew she should have kept to herself and allowed the thought to pass.  Now, she knew it wouldn't.  In her memory she saw him, the only one who dared venture into her presence following an unprecedented episode in Zion.  He could not identify with her emotions, but he understood them.  Buddhism had taught him that.   

_…well, Luke and I aren't together anymore.  I know I told you I really liked him, but it just didn't feel right.  Yeah, yeah, you're right.  You were always right. I'm not involved at the moment.  Oh, I didn't mention Smith yet, did I?  Going back to those two run-ins with rebels, get this: an Agent rescued me.  It was weird at first… once I got over the fact that he wasn't gonna kill me, he was actually good company.  I know, it sounds weird.  Neo would have a heart attack.  So would the rest of the real world.  Well, Stella, in your words, "fuck 'em."  God, I wish you were here.  Why… why couldn't they have taken me instead?  God, Stella, I'm so alone.  In such a big city, surrounded by so many people and I'm completely alone.  I know, I know, "Buck up, Jade.  Life's a bitch, you're not."  Sometimes, those words get me through the day.  But things haven't been that bad.  It gets worse this time of year… especially your birthday.  I haven't lost my sanity yet, and I've been keeping myself distracted.  Before I start another raving about missing you like on the last page, I'll save a tree and stop here.  I love you, baby sis.  –Jade._

The letter ended there.  Jade had expressed a range of emotions in her letter, from manic grief to girly jokes.  He assumed the letter writing was a custom, an outlet for emotion.  Smith could not pinpoint exactly what he was feeling, but in human articulation the closest synonym would be: he felt like an asshole.  This was probably the most difficult day of the year for her, and he had made it worse.  He had implied that she was mentally incapable.  Treated her contemptuous when she had done nothing to deserve such behavior.  Guilt.  He felt guilty for what he had done to her.  He recalled her frightening behavior and felt the burden of complete responsibility for her scene.  He wondered where she had gone… and if she was all right.  Hopefully, she had gone home.  She had not come back to the cemetery, so she must have.  He hoped.

He stepped out of the building's shadow.  "Jade…"

She turned immediately, recognizing the voice.  "Ghost."

He approached her calm and controlled, as always; yet she could tell he was unsure about something.  "How've you been?"

"Following the eightfold path." She responded.

He smiled.  

She loved his smile.

"So, this is what you want."

She nodded.  "I'm sorry, Ghost, but I can't… I just…"

"I know." He replied, taking her hands in his.

She fell quiet and saw in his dark eyes that he meant exactly what he said.  He knew.

"What they did to you was unfair and cruel.  Zion is a painful memory for you."

She stared at the ground, nodding in affirmation.  "If they had waited… done it different… let me choose…"

"We cannot spend our lives thinking what might have been."

He sounded so final.  So this was why he had come.  It was now or never.  "I love you, Ghost."

"…I know."

He knew.

Silence.

Their eyes met.  This was it.  It was over.

And then both heads leaned closer, slowly, eyes still open.  Lips touched lightly, eyes closed.  Mouths opened, their tongues searched for each other and slowly pressed together before exploring the rest of their new territory.

Then, it was over.

"Please don't leave." She begged in a whisper.

He was hurt, torn, conflicted, and she could swear that there were tears in his eyes.  Without words, she felt the grip on her hands loosen until she no longer feel it at all.  He stepped away and she looked at the ground and watched his shoes clop against the pavement until they had disappeared from sight.  She lifted her head, tears staining the face that had seconds ago touched his for the first time… for the last time. 

Jade blinked her eyes and found herself crying.  Only she was not in the street anymore.  She had walked home and cried on the couch, the same one she was crying on now.  She pulled a throw pillow close to her chest and let the tears fall.  She had banished that memory soon after it happened.  She barely remembered that he had even existed until now.  Something inside her had told Neo, "Say 'hi' to Ghost for me."  She had loved Ghost who loved Trinity who loved Neo who loved her back.  At least two of them were happy.  Why was she crying over him?  That was five years ago and he had undoubtedly moved on, and so had she.   

Had she?

A knock startled her and interrupted her thoughts.  She wiped her face with the back of her hands, then quickly grabbed some Kleenex and mopped up the remaining tears.  Her eyes were red and swollen from crying.  Sighing deeply, mentally assuring herself that she was all right, she headed to answer the door.  She hoped it was the UPS guy, who wouldn't notice.  She could sign a form and curl up on the couch with a pint of cookie dough ice cream.  Cheesecake wasn't a household food, and she didn't feel like leaving the apartment.  She didn't feel like talking to Neo about it either.  She knew as soon as she opened the door, he'd let himself in and coax it out of her.  None of them had known about her attraction for Ghost… or so she thought.  Perhaps they had, but none of them knew what transpired at their final meeting.  It was better that way.  She sighed and opened the door.  She wasn't prepared to see the man standing in the doorway.

She stared for a moment, half ready to slam the door in his face.  "What are you doing here?" She asked angrily.

He fidgeted with his sunglasses before making eye contact.  She did not look well.  She looked upset.  Much like the humans he tortured had looked after they cried.

She wanted to scream.  She wanted to yell at him, tell him to leave her the hell alone and never come back.  She wanted to take out all her anger at Ghost for leaving her on him.  She wanted to hurt him for what he'd said that afternoon.  She wanted to tear him apart with all her grief for Stella.  She did a fair job of containing herself. "Five words or less."  

He studied the floor for a moment, and then established weak eye contact.  "I came to…apologize."

She stood in disbelief for a moment.  "Time extension granted."

He took this as an 'ok' to continue.  "I selfishly placed my pride before your emotions.  I do not think you beneath me.  I have never accepted one of you as an equal until now, which is no excuse for my actions.  I do not expect or deserve forgiveness."

She stood dumbfounded.  Confused and bewildered.

He fidgeted awkwardly.  "Perhaps I should be going…" he said as he turned and started toward the elevator.

"No!" She cried, "Wait!" stumbling toward him.

He immediately turned.  She was halfway in the hall, a pleading look etched in her face.  "Please stay…"

"Are you certain?"

She nodded.  He could see that she was on the brink of tears.

"Then I shall stay." He answered.

She breathed a sigh of relief and led him into her apartment.  

"It's a mess and my friend just finished the last edible item except my emergency stash of ice cream." She explained.

He did not seem bothered.  "Are you all right?"

He didn't need to ask.  She was obviously not all right.  "I'm okay." She lied.  

Silence.

"So… are you still gonna take the job?" She asked.

He was puzzled for a moment, and then remembered the assignment he had been given.  The assignment that been responsible for today's fiasco.  "I will, if you do not wish to replace me with another Agent."

"Relax, Smith." She said, herself relaxing as she took a seat on her couch.  "I owe you an apology too.  I shouldn't have freaked out on you like I did.  It's my sister's birthday, and I had just come from the cemetery.  I wasn't in the best mood."

"There is no need to apologize."

"Yes there is." She eyed him sternly.

He conceded.

"We're ok now?" She asked, extending a hand.

He took it in affirmation.   He looked worried.  "After you left the restaurant…" he began, "where did you go?"

She knew what he was asking.  "I ran.  I ate something, saw a movie and then came home."

"And then your friend stopped by?"

"Yes."

"I do not mean to pry, but you seemed upset when you answered the door."

"My friend… he accidentally brought back some memories.  I accidentally brought them back, actually."

"… Would it offend you if I inquired what disturbed you so?"

She sighed, "Someone I loved a long time ago."

"You must have loved them very much." He seemed to muse.

This response was unexpected. "Huh?"

"If the thought of someone conjures such strong emotion today, you must have developed a profound attachment to this human."

She nodded.  "I haven't thought about him in so long."

"But you did."

She made a small noise in affirmation.

"Since your family is no longer living, you have been alone.  Is that assumption correct?"

"No.  I've had relationships."

"Have you loved anyone the way you loved this man?"

She didn't answer for a moment. 

This discussion somewhat intrigued him.  The idea that one person could have such a lasting affects on another… just another defect of the humans, he supposed.  "My assessment is this: you were lonely and your friend's visit made you realize this."

Simple as that.  "Wow… I feel stupid."

"There is no reason to.  You are extremely intelligent."

Did he just compliment her?  Her intelligence at that.  She smiled a little.  "Thank you."  She yawned.

"It is late, and you have had quite a trying day.  I suggest you get some sleep." He said.

"I think you're right" She agreed.  "You know, if you wanna stop by tomorrow… maybe we could have lunch or something."

"I would very much enjoy your company." He replied.  "What would you like to do?"

She smiled.  "I don't know."

He returned the gesture.

"Goodnight, Smith."

"Sleep well." He replied, before taking his leave.  

She closed the door and exhaled deeply as a small smile formed on her lips.  Things were okay.  They could be better, but she wasn't one for complaining.  After all, it had been nice to see Neo again.  She recalled seeing his mouth covered in artificial cheese and laughed.  She had made an ass out of herself at the restaurant, though.  Well, at least Smith didn't think any less of her.  He wouldn't have come back if he had.  That was hard enough to believe.   He probably had some underlying reason, but she didn't care to think about it.  She just wanted to go to bed.  Tomorrow was a new day, and she was going to enjoy it.

The human articulation of his current state would have been relief.  The entire day had seemed a blur.  Anger, guilt, fear, hate, relief all swirled together in his mind and suddenly he felt very, very tired.  Perhaps his colleagues had been correct.  Perhaps this assignment would be bearable. He should not have lashed out in the manner he had.  He should not have tried to force himself to hate her.  He supposed that it was a good thing, since he would have to serve as her bodyguard.  Perhaps the issue wasn't control.  Maybe it was balance.  He sighed, feeling the onset of a headache.  He needed to stop thinking.  Tomorrow he would see to it that he compensated for today.  


	6. Good Days and New Friends

  
A/N: Twinkie to anyone who reviews... 

  
  
**Answers**

  


By Jaded Starlight

  
  
**

Chapter Five:

**  
**

Good Days and New Friends

**  


She sighed exasperatedly as she stared at the items in her closet.  She had gone through just about everything, and found nothing that satisfied her taste.  She'd wear the denim skirt, but it was a bit short, and worried about the impression she'd send.  Her kakis were in the wash and it was too hot for jeans.  She loathed wearing shorts, and her long skirts were too much for May.  Shirts weren't any easier.  Currently, she was dressed in her short denim skirt, which came quite above her knee and a white scoop neck wifebeater.  She was holding a pair of white flip-flops in her hands when she heard the door knock.  

"God damn Jehovah's Witnesses…" She muttered as she answered the door, shoes still in hand.  She was a bit surprised when Smith appeared behind the door.  "What are you doing here?"

"You said last night that you would like to meet for lunch.  It is twelve thirty now."

She thought for a moment.  She had gotten up at nine, showered and fixed her hair.  So she'd spent roughly the last three and a half hours picking out clothes.  What was wrong with her today?

"Have you changed your mind?"

"No, no… it's just, I'm not dressed."

He studied her a moment.  "I believe you are."

She looked down at her apparel.  "Well, technically I'm dressed but I couldn't find anything to wear."

"Your current attire suits you nicely."

Was that a compliment?  She almost blushed, looking down at herself.  "Okay.  Let me get my purse." She said, dropping her flip-flops and grabbing her bag.  She stepped into her shoes and stepped out of her apartment, sure to lock three non-consecutive locks.

"Why do you only lock three?" He asked as they walked down the hall toward the elevator.

She pushed the button and the "down" arrow lit up.  "I figure that no matter which direction anyone turns the locks, they're always locking three."

The elevator made a sound and the doors opened.  The two stepped inside and Smith pushed the button signifying the lobby.  "In theory, it's plausible.  But does it work?"

She laughed, "Just ask Ne-… my friend."

"The One that stopped by yesterday?" Smith asked, almost amused by his reply.  He wondered if she'd understand that he knew.

She was silent a few moments, studying the Agent and contemplating whether or not he actually knew her affiliation with Neo.  "Yes…"

"I believe that this 'one' is a mutual friend between us." He couldn't help himself.  This was fun.

"What are you getting at?" She asked seriously.

He smiled.  He tried to suppress the grin, but found he was unable to do so.

"What's so funny?" She asked, a bit peeved.

"Nothing.  Was he the rebel that you keep in contact with?"

"Who?"

"Neo."

"Yeah."

He smiled wider.

She looked at him, visibly worried.

"Just curious." He replied.

"…You're not gonna, well…"

"Relax.  Mr. Anderson- Neo as he likes to be called, is no longer a priority of mine."

She sighed in relief as the elevator doors opened.  "Good.  It'd be hard to choose sides."

They exited her building and climbed into his car.  "Would it, now?" He asked, starting the car.

"I believe so."

"Why?"

"You're both…" My friends?  "good companions.  I'd hate to see you try to kill each other."

He nodded with the hint of a smile.  "I doubt you will have to."

"That's good to know." She replied.  "So, where are we going?"

"I don't know." He replied.

She looked over at him.  "You, Agent Smith, do not have a destination in mind?"

"Actually, we're going for lunch.  It's a small outdoor restaurant with excellent food.  It also has a relatively selective clientele."

"It better be good… I'm starving."

They reached a small, unimpressive building.  Jade was doubtful of Smith's description until he opened the door and she stepped inside.  There were perhaps five indoor tables and the decorating was exquisite.  The maitre de lead them out the back door, and Jade found herself nearly gasping at the scene.  It was designed like a courtyard, fountains, flowers, terrace with vines clinging onto them, growing upward.  Tables were scattered about, offering openness and privacy at the same time.  Coordinating umbrellas served to block the glare of the sun.  There was a beautifully furnished gazebo as the focal point of the setup.  She noticed there was also a table set up inside.  She was completely mesmerized by the display.  Smith seemed satisfied as the maitre de led them toward the adorned gazebo.

"Smith, you didn't…" She gasped as they were seated inside the ornate furnishing.  "This is incredible…"

"It seemed the least I could do in compensation for yesterdays disaster."

She brushed the matter aside with a hand.  "We were both having a bad day.  Just forget about it.  God, you didn't have to do this…"

"I thought you might enjoy it." He answered, satisfaction in his tone.

"You thought right." She affirmed.

They were given menus, and they began to decide on their meal.  Smith watched her carefully as she read over the selection.  She seemed completely different in juxtaposition to yesterday.  This was the woman he knew.  She seemed so happy, simply to look at the restaurant's setup, let alone her excitement over the gazebo he'd paid adequately for.  Money really wasn't an issue.  His primary focus had been to rectify yesterday's disaster.  So far, he had succeeded.  If she chose to accompany him for the remainder of the afternoon, he would allow her to choose their course of action.  It seemed fair.  He needed her trust.  The only way to get that was to earn it.  Stupid humans.  He did not see how Jade was human.  She possessed a brilliant mind.  She was misanthropic and oddly humanitarian… a paradox of herself, which she admitted.  He had never met a human like her.  She was somehow different.  He found that he could not hate her like the rest of her insipid species.  He had tried, and that lead to the unbearable feeling of guilt, which he now denied ever feeling.  To feel was so… human.  So beneath him.  He contemplated why she possessed such a weakness.  It was a pity, really.  She could really be… be what?  The waiter interrupted his thoughts, and they each placed their lunch order.  They conversed, spoke of literature, art, politics, and philosophy, but something nagged at the corner of Smith's mind… an unnerving perplexity.  He ignored it for the most part, but he knew it was there… like a splinter in his mind.

"I cannot believe we spent the entire day at a restaurant and they didn't try to kick us out." Jade mused as they sauntered lazily toward the Agent's car.

"Their clientele is highly selective.  It is a weekday on which restaurant activity is minimal and all factors considered, I'm sure it was beneficial to their institution."

"I can't thank you enough." She said, leaning against his car.

"There is no need."

She sighed happily, the cool night breeze brushing against her face.  "Makes me wonder where the day went."

"What do you mean?" He asked.

""Where does the time go?  The second something happens it's already in the past.  If you stop and think about it, years feel like seconds.  And vice versa."

"Time does not 'go' anywhere… it simply passes by."

"That's what I'm afraid of." She replied.

He offered a questioning glance. 

"I'm afraid that I'll wake up one day and find out that my life just passed me by.  It'll be over before it started.  I'm scared that I'll wake up alone and look back on an insignificant life… I know it sounds stupid, but I can't help but wonder."

He paused in thought.  "Did you enjoy yourself today?"

"Of course." She replied.

"Are you enjoying yourself at the moment?"

"Yes."

"Then what does the future matter?  The more time you spend thinking about the future, the closer it becomes."

His words were comforting to her somehow.  "I just worry, you know?  Like when I was in high school and everyone started dating and I didn't have a boyfriend.  I always thought that it would work out later.  I always thought I had so much time.  I'm 22.  How much more time do I have?  Not just for relationships, but for everything else.  I'm worried that there won't be a 'later'."

He wanted to assure her that everything would be fine, that she wouldn't be alone much longer.  He didn't know why, but he wanted to.

"I mean, tonight, today… I haven't had a day like this in so long.  I'm not worrying about later.  I…" She sighed, "I don't know if I have a point.  Scratch that."

He smiled.  "Over thinking only breeds confusion."

"No kidding." She replied.

Pause.

"What are you thinking?" he asked.

"Nothing."

"It would be impossible to think about nothing, because nothing is something if you are thinking about it."

"If it'll save us both a headache, I was just thinking about today."

"…And?"

"And… well, it's been the best time I've had in a while."

He smiled, satisfied.

"What about you?  What're _you_ thinking about?"

"Many things." He answered.

"Like what?"

He struggled to produce a response, but found that he was unable to articulate exactly what he was thinking about.  Mostly, he had been trying to satisfy the subliminal nagging in the back of his head… but she wouldn't understand that.

"I know the feeling." She replied to his silence.

"What?"

"You don't know what you're thinking, or how to say it."

"I… I suppose."

She shivered briefly as the cool evening wind touched her skin.  She crossed her arms in an attempt to keep warm.  He noticed this and responded by sliding his jacket off and onto her shoulders.

"No, no, I'm fine." She insisted.

"The temperature has dropped considerably, and you are not sufficiently clothed." 

She blushed as she studied her short skirt and bare legs.

"I did not mean to offend you, I simply meant to…"

"I know what you meant." She replied, "Thank you." She said, tightening it around her.

She seemed strangely contented, the oversized jacket draping below the hem of her skirt and the shoulders bunching loosely around her arms.  He took notice of the length of her skirt.  It _was_ provocatively short… 

"What?" She asked.

"I… um… nothing." He stammered.  He had just been making an observation….

She smiled and nodded.  "Sure."

"Perhaps we should be going."

She seemed reluctant.

"…But if you would rather stay a while longer, it would not be an inconvenience."

Small smile.  "Jut a bit."

He exhaled and leaned against the car; staring off into whatever oblivion she seemed to find comfort in.  What did she see in the blanket of darkness enveloping their surroundings?  His eyes looked her over, analyzing her body language.  She seemed comfortable and relaxed by her posture, slightly slouched against the body of the car.  Her arms crossed, the long sleeves of his jacket bunching and covering her hands.  He hair was controlled by the wind, which swept it out of her face.  Her face was calm, placid.  Her eyes, he noticed, were slightly darker tonight.  Perhaps it was the shadows that made them so.  He saw something in her eyes change and observed as she pulled her arms closer to herself.  She looked disturbed. 

"Are you all right?"

She turned, too quickly toward him.  "What?  Oh… yeah.  I'm fine." She paused, looking at the ground.  "Just fine."

He offered a slightly disbelieving glance.

She saw this and sighed, diverting her attention to the ground.  "I was thinking about life."

His face seemed to say, "And?"

"How short it is."

He nodded.

"Don't suppose the machines have figured out whether there's an afterlife, huh?"

He wished he could offer something more substantial, "No."

She sighed.  "Do machines go to heaven?  If there _is_ a heaven?"

He contemplated this a moment.  "We are conscious.  We create life through artificial means."

"Do you have a soul?"

"To be conscious, does one need a soul?"

She thought.  "You know what's funny?"

"What?"

"Machines destroyed original sin."

He looked at her, confused.  "How?"

"Machines don't reproduce… the way humans do.  Humans aren't born anymore, therefore, no original sin."  She explained.  "Neither species is damned to hell.  Or Purgatory.  Maybe Limbo.  Do they teach Limbo anymore?"

"No."

"That's kinda funny."

"How?"

"Somebody just woke up one day and invented a non-existent plane of… existence.  How do we know this heaven shtick isn't the aftermath of somebody's drug-educed stupor?"

He smiled.  "The non-canonical gospels include the use of cannabis in religious rituals."

She laughed.  "Jesus was a stoner.  That's comforting."

"The truth is that none of us know."

"I want to believe it, you know?  It seems so simple, but when you think about it logically… it's just an idealistic fallacy man created out of insecurity."

"Are you afraid of death?"

"…No."

"Why then do you contemplate it?"

She looked at her hand, pulled her fingers into a fist and then unclenched her hand with a sigh.  "I'm not so much afraid as… scared, I guess."

"The two terms are synonymous."

"Not according to Faulkner."

He turned his face toward her.  "Would it be correct to say you are referring to _The Bear_?"

She smiled.  "Yes.  One must be scared, but not afraid."

He nodded in understanding.

"…Maybe… maybe I am afraid." She replied thoughtfully.

"You contradict your earlier statement."

"I mean, I think about my family… mostly my sister, and I wonder."

"About what?"

"My sister… she was a beautiful person.  She was young, but God, when you looked at her, you just knew… you _knew_ she was gonna be something.  You could see it.  She was so alive…" she paused, "guess irony is fate's best friend."

His eyes told her to continue.

"I think about Estelle, and how young and beautiful she was… and I want to believe she's not asleep or unconscious.  I want to believe she is what she never got to be… is that wrong?"

"No.  Not at all."

"Estelle… she was a blunt little thing.  All that life and energy… just cut short."

"Was you sister terminally ill?"

"No.  One morning, she just never woke up."

"I am sorry."

"Don't be.  She wouldn't want that.  We just have to move on.  She's in my heart, but my life can't stop because hers did."

He reflected on her statement.  " 'Death be not proud, though some have called thee/ mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so/ for those whom thou thinkst thou dost overthrow/ die not, poor death; nor canst thou kill me'."

A smile broke across her features.  "John Donne." She replied.

He raised an eyebrow.  "You are familiar with his sonnets?"

"Shakespeare looks like a children's author next to Donne." Se replied.

"I am surprised."

"I'll take that as a good thing." She replied, "You know, some people think that death drove Donne mad at the end of the poem…but I never agreed."

He nodded, familiar with these theories.  "What is your speculation?"

I always got the impression that Donne triumphed over death… that if you believe you can overthrow it, you will.  So death cannot die, and neither will it kill me."

"Interesting."   

She smiled and seemed to take comfort in his reply.  Quiet again descended on the pair, a comfortable silence resting between them.  

He noticed her getting colder, her expression changing.  

"Would you like to leave now?" He asked.

"Yes." She replied.  "Thank you."

He opened the door to the passenger side for her, as was human etiquette. 

She offered an amused glance.  "Chivalry isn't dead after all…"

Smith shut the door after her and entered through the driver's side and smiled.  "Not _all_ chivalry is dead."

"Nice to know."


	7. Back to Work

  
A/N: Selina, Crayon, Levi, and Effie all get a Twinkie! You know you want one too... be nice and review! wow, i've resorted to rhyming.

  
  
**Answers**

  


By Jaded Starlight

  
  
**

Chapter Six:

**  
**

Back to Work

**  


Another beautiful day greeted the inhabitants of the Matrix.  Among them, three well-dressed men sat at an outdoor table, enjoying an afternoon drink.

"This is a very peculiar activity." Agent Brown said.

"Indeed." Jones agreed.

Smith sighed, sipping on his vodka Collins.

"Why are we doing this?" Jones asked.

"Do we have anything else to do?" Smith asked.

Brown and Jones exchanged glances.

"I suppose we do not." Brown replied.

"So why not, then?"

Neither of his companions could supply an answer.

"We are trapped in this zoo, so we might as well enjoy its exhibits."

Jones nodded, sipping on his Bloody Mary.

"Without humans," Brown mused, "this could perhaps be a pleasant habitat."

Smith sighed in agreement.  "If there were some way to eradicate them…"

"Exile must be paradise." Jones replied.

Smith offered a confused glance.  "How so?"

"A world with the pleasures of this and without the stench of humanity.  Surely exile is worth anticipation."

"We lack purpose in exile." Smith reminded.  "It would be beautiful for a short time, and then we would go mad.  No reason for action therefore no purpose.  At least in the Matrix we have a goal, a driving force.  Purpose.  _Reason_."

Jones contemplated his companions' reply.  "Paradise is a double-edge sword." He concluded.

Smith nodded.

"Might I inquire the status of your current assignment?" Brown asked tactfully.

He was confused for a moment, and then understood.  "Jade- er… Miss Turner is well."

"Good.  We will need your assistance tonight."

"Why?" He asked.

"The mainframe intercepted a transmission from the Chronos.  They are meeting with the crew of the Archimedes."

Smith was satisfied.  It would be nice to get back to work.

She kept her eyes focused on the ground beneath her as she quickly walked through the hall to her desk.  She could hear the whisper of her coworkers buzz in her ears and sighed as she collapsed in her chair.  She clicked on her computer and sorted through the papers on her desk.  Several "get well soon" cards from people she barely knew, one from her boss, and a memo or two.

"Jade." 

The voice made her jump in her seat.  She relaxed as she saw it was only her employer.  "Good morning, Mr. Westburg."

"I didn't mean to startle you, I was dropping off some dictation and tasks that need scheduling.  If this is too much for you, feel free to give some of your excess work to Lorraine."

"I'm fine Mr. Westburg."

"You are my only employee who up until last week had not taken vacation time.  I understand if you need more time.   Terrorist dealings are not easy to cope with."

She looked confused.  "I've never taken a vacation?"

He smiled.  "Your record screams 'workaholic'."

"I'm really all right." She smiled.

He returned the gesture.  "You're a good girl, Turner.  I need that memo by five."

"Sure." She replied, placing the headphones over her ears and rewinding the tape.  Her fingers typed the words on the tape quickly.  Back to reality.  Or whatever this was.

She was so absorbed in her work that she forgot her lunch break.  When she glanced at the clock, she realized it was half past three.  She became aware of her hunger and set her headphones down as she turned off the tape.  The employee lounge would have some soda and the snack machine… well, it would have to do.  She moved through the hall quietly, concentrating on causing as little disturbance as humanly possible.  She was relieved to see the lounge empty, and sighed.  She fought with the machine over a dollar, and finally won.  It spat out a Coke and fifteen cents.  She collected these items and turned around, dropping the bottle on the floor.  

"Sorry." A blond woman said.  Her tone however said that was exactly what she had intended. 

"It's ok, Elizabeth." She sighed, picking up the item.

"Liz, Liz, call me Liz.  You're kinda jumpy."

"Well, I didn't expect to see anyone breathing down my neck." Jade rebutted.

"Right, right… sorry about that."

"… I really have to get back to work."

"Jade, you missed lunch."

She hated this routine.  "No, I ate at my computer.  I'm pretty backed up."

"Oh, yeah… you weren't here all last week.  Are you feeling better?"

Jade wanted so much to punch this woman's face in. She was the office gossip and had reached her position by sleeping with her employers.  Luckily Mr. Westburg ignored her.  "Much, thank you." She said, walking out.

The unnatural blond smiled sadistically behind Jade's back.  "You know, there's a lot of gossip around here."

"What else is new?"

"What _really happened?"_

"What _really happened is none of your business."_

"Fine.  I just thought you'd like to know what people are saying."

_'You mean what _you're_ saying?_'_ She sighed, annoyed.  "Okay, Liz: __what are they saying?"_

The blonde's eyes lit up.  "Well, Kim across the hall said you were attacked, Jason thought…"

Jade rolled her eyes and tried to stay awake.  She hated people like this.  Did this woman do anything remotely intelligent?  At all?  Smith was so right about most humans.  For people like Elizabeth, breathing was an intelligent activity.  She suppressed a smile as she imagined Smith in her scenario.  Eh, he'd probably have shot her already.    

"…So, what _really happened?!"_

How long had she been talking?  Jade sighed.  "Almost got mugged."

"Really?  That's it?" She sounded disappointed.  "Well, I have to go."

Jade stood in the employee lounge, wondering whether to laugh hysterically or pound her head against the wall.  She decided against both actions and walked back to her desk.  She could still feel everyone's eyes on her.  Their whispers grew louder and louder until she frantically placed the headphones over her ears and played the tape.  Her fingers moved furiously over the keys as letters formed words, then sentences on the screen before her.  Ignore it.  Keep typing.  Keep typing.  Keep typing.  Keep typing…

"…is this line clean?"

"I think so."

"Good.  Where are you?"

Smith laughed to himself.  Human beings were such idiots.  Amateurs, obviously.  They had tapped into an _Agent's line._

"21 Beacon Street. "

"Why so early?"

"Always be unexpected."

 The line went dead.

Smith's colleagues shared a smile and set off.  

It didn't take the trio of Agent very long to reach the address.  It was a decrepit condemned little building.  They did not bother to make an entrance; instead they approached the rebels slowly and silently.  From outside the doorway, they could hear the conversation.

"You got it?" 

"Yeah.  You have the program?"

"Of course." There was an air of superiority in this man's voice.

"Just take it. I wanna forget this as soon as I get back to the construct."

"Relax, man.  Why the hell'd they pick you for the job, anyway?"

"Look, I don't care, ok.  Just gimme the disk."

The Agents took this as their cue and stood menacingly in the doorway.

"…shit!"

The taller, more confident man attempted to jump out the window, but was shot down mid stride.  The other man simply stood, already accepting his fate.

"Why don't you run?" Smith asked, gun pointed straight at the rebel's forehead.

"I don't want to remember." 

Bang.

Silence.

Smith approached the rebel who had tried to escape.  What had he gained from their interaction?  It was obviously something of serious nature.  "Search him." He said.  

The two other Agents complied.

His gaze shifted to the younger man.  He held in his hand a disk, which obviously contained a program he had traded something for.  Smith picked it up and scanned his database.  It was a simple program, written to delete selective memories.

_"I don't want to remember_"

He studied the green and gold chip.

"Agent Smith," Brown began.  "We searched the rebel."

"We found only this." Jones finished, handing Smith a piece of paper.

"It is an address." He said.

"Yes."

The location scribbled on the paper felt familiar.  He cross-referenced his database and knew why.  "Call for cleanup." He said, leaving.

Brown looked to Jones.

Jones looked to Brown.

Both shrugged.  Jones pressed his earpiece and called for backup.

The steadily rising hum had blasted into a full cacophonous symphony.  Whispers evolved into disembodied shouts and screams.  She quietly whimpered clamping her hands over her ears to shut out the deafening orchestra, only to succeed in making it louder.

"…anesthetic!"

"DNR!  This is a…"

"…Clear!"

"DNR!"

"…blue!"

"DNR!"

She felt her heart leap in her chest as she jolted awake and jumped a foot off her chair, gasping for breath.

"I'm sorry Jade… I didn't mean to scare you, but everyone's left and I'm on my way." Mr. Westburg explained.

She regained control a bit.  "No, I'm okay…" She looked around.  "What time is it?"

"Quarter past eleven.  You should get home, dear."

She rubbed her eyes.  "I'll lock up…"

"Don't be ridiculous.  Go home, now."

She smiled and grabbed her purse.  "Thanks, Mr. Westburg."

"…Jade?" He called after her.

"I know what happened last week… are you sure you're all right?"

"Yes.  The office gossip got to me a bit today. That's all."

"You sure?"

"Yes.  Thank you." She replied, leaving.  She was grateful for her boss's concern.  He was, after all, the only one who hired her without experience at 19 years old.  Hell, he was the closest thing to a father she had right now. And he wasn't mad at her for falling asleep on the job.  

She stepped out of the elevator and was surprised to see Agent Smith standing at her door.  "Smith?" She asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I had expected you to be home at an earlier time."

"God, you _waited here?  I'm sorry." She sighed, unlocking three random locks and inviting him inside.  "Something to eat? I went food shopping."_

"No."

"Well, I'm eating something." She replied, disappearing into her kitchen.  She reappeared with jar of peanut butter and a bag of Oreos.  Smith was slightly disgusted when she dipped the cookie in the jar and ate it.  "I know, it looks gross.  But it's really good."

"That is your prerogative."

"So, why'd you stop by?"

He hesitated for a second, but she did not see it.  "I felt obligated to inquire your status.  How was work?"

She broke a cookie in half.  "Everyone was talking about me.  Some obnoxious woman, _Liz," She said, emphasizing her distain on the last word, "interrogated me."_

"What did you reply?"

"Told her I was mugged."

He smiled slightly.

"I fell asleep, though.  Stared at the computer for too long I guess."

"Are you all right?"

"Of course I am.  I just had that dream again."

"The one you spoke of earlier?" He asked.

"Yeah."

"You seem to be coping in a better manner than its last occurrence." He observed.

"Well, it's nice to have someone to talk to.  What about you?  How was work?"

"Business as usual."

"Fun." She replied, eating another peanut butter covered cookie.  "You sure you don't wanna try one?"

His expression mimicked his reply, "Yes."

She shrugged.  "It's an acquired taste, I guess."

He cringed slightly.

"Fine.  More cookies for me."

"If everything is in order, I will be going." He said, standing.  "I will contact you tomorrow."

"Thanks, Smith." She replied, dipping another cookie into the jar of peanut butter resting on her lap.  This skirt was knee length; with a slit up the side… it was rather high….  "I should shower and get some sleep."

He immediately directed his attention her response.  "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Smith."

…Had he been looking at her skirt?


	8. Chopsticks

  
A/N: *pleads shamelessly for reviews*

  
  
**Answers**

  


By Jaded Starlight

  
  
**

Chapter Seven:

**  
**

Chopsticks

**  


She had assumed that work would be easier, getting back into the routine and all.  Plus, it was Tuesday, and by now the topic of discussion had surely moved onto something more relevant than last weeks "mugging".  This logic proved useless as she entered the office and was greeted by a thousand prying eyes.  Jade stopped dead in her tracks.  There was no way she was going to survive another second in this place.  She almost turned to leave, but recalled her sister's words.  _"Life's a bitch, Jade.  You're not." She sighed and collected all her will as one foot passed the other.  She kept her head down and reached her desk.  Sifting through paper, she caught sight of the phone. _

"Are you certain that the address was correct?" Agent Brown asked.

Smith nodded.

"Have you learned anything of value from the target?" Jones questioned.

"'The Target' has a name." He snorted.  "No, there is nothing particularly distinguishing about her.  Perhaps her manner, but nothing the rebels would consider of value."

"I apologize." Jones offered in order to appease his companion.  Smith so often changed his opinion of this scenario, how was he to know the correct terminology?  Besides, it had been an entire week and a half since Smith had tried to shoot him… and Jones was interested in keeping this streak of luck for as long as he could.

"Perhaps she is a decoy." Brown tried.

This attracted the attention of the other two Agents.

"Perhaps the rebels are using this woman as a deceptive tactic in order to divert our attention from more threatening plans."

Silence.

"Impossible."  Smith replied.

"How?" Jones asked.

"It is too sophisticated a scheme for a human to concoct."

"We have underestimated them before." Brown reminded.  

"Yes.  And this woman has no rebel connections or knowledge of the Real World." Jones added.

Smith restrained himself from countering with factual information.  Why he was withholding this knowledge eluded him at the moment.  "We monitor rebel activity quite scrupulously, if you recall.  For Jade- Miss Turner to be a decoy there must be a large number of rebels present in the Matrix when she is the target.  Such has not been the case."

They paused to reflect.  

The phone interrupted their reflection.  Smith lifted the receiver to his ear, already with an idea of who was on the other line.

Brown and Jones simply exchanged mirroring glances.

"Yes… is everything all right?  Oh.  …I do not anticipate it to be a problem.  You are welcome.  Yes, twelve o'clock.  I shall see you then.  Yes.  Goodbye."  

The receiver clicked loudly amid the silent room.  Two Agents with identical expressions looked to the third.

"What?!" An aggravated Smith asked.

Silence.

"Did the Architect press the 'mute' button on both of you?!"

The two Agents exchanged glances.  "We are not programmed to be muted…" Jones replied.

A vein pulsed in Smith's forehead.

"We were curious as to the identity of your previous caller." Brown said.

Jones glanced to his companion.  Why did he not have the verbal finesse both his companions seemed to possess?  It was no wonder why he was always the one to receive a bullet from Agent Smith.

Smith seemed to calm down a little.  "Miss Turner contacted me."

"Does she need assistance?"

"She wishes to meet with me this afternoon."

"Concerning what?"

"I do not know." He replied and then tacked on, "She spoke of a matter she would like to disclose in person."

Both Agents nodded in understanding.

"Will either of you be in need of the car this afternoon?" Smith asked in thought.

Simultaneous glances were exchanged.  "No."

"Good."

The voice on the tape dictated what Jade's fingers were typing but her eyes remained fixed on the small gray clock in the bottom corner of her computer screen.  The little black numbers could not change fast enough to appease the patience of the typing woman.  She sighed and took her hands off the keys, pausing the tape.  An odd sensation flooded her mind, and was gone abruptly as it had come.  She checked the time on her computer.  11:59?  How was that possible?  She was almost sure it had only been around 9:30….  She glanced at the clock on the wall.  11:59.  Perhaps her clock had been off and they had reset the server's time.  Grabbing her purse, she walked out of the building and attempted to hail a cab.  A familiar looking Audi pulled up instead.  The passenger window slid down, revealing the identity of the driver.

"Would you care for a ride?"

She smiled, happy to see him.  "You didn't have to pick me up," She said as he got out of the car, "I could've taken a cab."

He opened the door to the passenger's side, "I was in the area."

She rolled her eyes and climbed into the car.  He shut her door and resumed his position in the driver's seat.  "In addition, you had stated that yesterday you had what humans would call a 'bad day'.  In order to avoid another occurrence, it seemed the correct thing to do."

"I appreciate it."

"Where would you like to go?" He asked.  "And 'I don't know', is not a sufficient answer." He added with a trace of a smile.

She grinned.  "Wherever."

"There are times I debate whether or not you are capable of decision-making."

"Fine.  Let's get Japanese.  There's a sushi place a few blocks down."

He cringed.  "Sushi?"

"What?  It's good."

"This coming from a woman who eats Oreos with peanut butter."

"Well, I'm sure if you ate you'd have some food quirks too."

"Perhaps."

"We can get Mexican food if you turn left."

He sighed.  "If you want Japanese, we will have it for lunch."

"It's ok, Smith.  We can do Mexican if you turn around."

"You wanted sushi." He reminded.

"Yeah, so?"

"I do not mind if that is what you want for lunch." He conceded.

"All right.  Keep going straight, its two more blocks on the right."

Of all women in the Matrix, the Resistance had to go after the one with bizarre eating habits.  

They were seated at a small table beside a window.  He watched Jade try to break her chopsticks along the line, but failed miserably.

"I can never break these things totally in half." She said, examining her pathetically asymmetrical excuse for chopsticks.  Smith curiously extracted his from the paper and broke them perfectly in half.

"Showoff." Jade replied.

Smith grinned.

"I suppose you know how to use them perfectly." She said.

He downloaded the needed information in a blink.  He picked the wooden sticks carefully in his hands and rested them correctly between his fingers.  He opened and closed them to demonstrate for her.

"I've been eating with these since I was ten and I _still_ can't do it right."

"It's quite simple."

"For a program."

"Humans first mastered it." He countered.

She smiled.  "Who's playing devil's advocate now?"

He rolled his eyes, "Show me how you hold them."

Jade placed the sticks in her fingers the way she always had.

"Here's the problem," he said, "your middle finger is in the wrong place."

"It is?"

"Yes.  It is supposed to be against the higher stick."

Confused, she moved it in the wrong place and the sticks fell from her hands.  She sighed in frustration.

"Here," he said, taking her right hand.  With one of his he held the stick and with the other he positioned her index finger and thumb.  He then slid the other wooden stick into place while moving the rest of her hand into the correct position.

Jade sat wide-eyed in shock.  It wasn't a terror-induced shock… it was a good shock.  He was showing her how to do something… without her asking.  His hands were warm -

"Are you all right?" He asked, noticing her expression.

"uh… yeah." She said, shaking herself back into whatever reality this was.  "I'm fine."

"How do they work now?"

She was confused a moment, then realized he had been talking about the chopsticks still positioned in her hands.  She opened and closed them comfortably, without falling out of her hands.  She smiled huge.  "They work!"

Her companion offered a satisfied smile.  He wondered why such an insignificant thing excited her so.  A small Oriental woman approached them, taking their order.  Smith thought it best not to look up what he was going to eat… or going to try to eat.   Jade was still amazed by her newfound ability to use chopsticks.  Perhaps she'd had too much Green Tea and the caffeine had begun to take effect.  They were interrupted by the waitress who brought whatever Edamame was.  It looked innocent enough…

"They're just steamed snow peas." She explained, placing a small pile on her plate.

He watched her place her sticks down and squeeze the pod and eat the vegetable inside. "I could be neat and use my chopsticks, but that would take effort."

He nodded, taking a stalk and placing it on his plate.  First she had coaxed him into cheesecake, and now Japanese food.  As long as it wasn't peanut butter covered Oreos, he guessed it couldn't be that bad. 

She watched his expression as he analyzed the taste of this new food.  "What do you think?" She asked.

"It is enjoyable." He replied.

She smiled.  "Wait till you try the Kani."

Smith placed some more Edamame in front of him.  Hopefully, whatever Kani was, it would be good.  Perhaps Jade's taste was not as bizarre as he had first assumed.

"See, that wasn't so bad." Jade said as they walked toward the car.

"You are correct."

She stopped in her tracks.  "Oh my God… this is an unprecedented event!  Agent Smith admits that he was _wrong!  It's the Apocalypse!"_

"Ha, ha." He replied dryly.

"No, wait!  I think the sky's gonna fall!  The oceans will boil!"

"Are you quite finished yet?"  He asked.

"No really, is that a meteor headed toward Earth?!"

"Like you have never been wrong before."

"Oh I have.  Plenty of times.  Look!  I think the Earth's gonna explode!"

He offered her a look.

"Ok.  I'm done." She replied as she started walking again.  "I don't wanna go to work." She said once they had both gotten back into the car.

"Where would you like to go?"

"What does it matter?  I've got work to do."

He raised an eyebrow.

"No, no, no… I can't just blow off this afternoon."

"Why not?"

"Because, because, I'm obligated!  And I just took a week off!  How's that gonna look?  Everyone's talking about me anyway, so all they'll need is something else to say.  I- I- and if I take this afternoon off, I'll want to blow off tomorrow and I'll get lazy and my boss will fire me and I won't be able to afford food and then I'll get evicted and I'll have to live on the streets and sit on the ground and talk to buildings and hold out a shoe for people to throw spare change in!"

"I seriously cannot believe I just blew off this afternoon." Jade said, leaning against the rail. "You know, if I end up collecting change in a shoe, I'm holding you responsible."

"I doubt it will come to that." He laughed.  "Given the choice, few would opt otherwise."

"Hmm… spend the afternoon on a boat or in a cubicle… now _there's_ a pickle."

He offered a small laugh.

"Points to you for spontaneity." She said.

"What?"

"This, the boat ride… it was a spontaneous decision, right?  … Oh, don't tell me you planned this."

"Not carefully."

"Oh well, somewhat impulsive.  Not bad."

"I should hope not."

"It's a great idea.  Just to relax on a boat, away from people… well, large quantities of people, at least.  Are we having dinner here?"

"Yes.  We will be returning to shore at approximately 11:24."

"Cool." She replied, for lack of better.  She stared out across the water, wind whipping through her hair.  She rotated her shoulder as if to release tension.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I just feel a bit spiffy." She said, "But that's nothing I can't fix."  He watched her unbutton the cuffs of her white button up blouse and fold them neatly into a three quarter sleeve.  She untucked it from her black skirt and left two top buttons undone.  She stepped out of her shoes and immediately looked much more relaxed.  "Do you loosen up?"

He just stared at her.

"Oh, that's what I forgot!" She said, smacking her forehead, "I still have your jacket… or your other jacket in my apartment."

"Do not worry about it.  I am sufficiently supplied with clothing.  You may keep it if you like."

"Are you sure?"

"Would I have suggested it if I thought otherwise?"

She rolled her eyes.  "Thanks.  It _is_ pretty comfy."  She had slept in it.  Not on purpose, though.  She was so completely exhausted that night all she had done was wash her face before crashing out on her bed, skirt, jacket and all. She sighed and shook her head.

"What?" He asked.

"How am I gonna explain this at work tomorrow?"

"Explain what?"

She looked at him.  "Why I abandoned responsibility to relax with a friend."

"Why should you need to explain?"

"My boss will want to know."

"Not him, your coworkers.  Why are you bothered so much by them?" He asked.

"I do not know, Master Yoda."

He eyed her questioningly.  "It appears that your coworkers heavily influence you.  Why do you place so much importance on their opinions?"

She stared across the water.  "It's so hard not to care."

"Are these people involved in your life at all?"

"Not really.  There're a few casual acquaintances."

"So why care?  They have no influence in your life and you have none in theirs."

"Yeah, but they'll give people the wrong impression… you know?  They'll judge me based on rumors."

"If they evaluate your character based on unsubstantiated claims, it is their loss."

She offered a confused glance.

"They will never get to experience your company."

She smiled.  "You think I'm good company?"

"Much better than the likes of my associates." He replied.

She laughed a little.  "Thank you."

"I know that they are, like me, sentient programs with designated tasks… but they are incredibly dull."

"Really?"

"Brown… there is nothing particularly distinguishing about Agent Brown.  Agent Jones… is not particularly tactful."

"Makes you wanna shoot him, right?"

His neck snapped to look at her, his expression reading, "how did you know?"

"Relax… I was kidding. Some of my coworkers like Elizabeth…ugh.  They make me wish I were armed." She explained.

"Oh." He replied, his expression relaxing.  Perhaps he should be a bit easier on Agent Jones.  The verbal slipups were not per say his fault.

"But you've got a point." She said, "I shouldn't let them get to me."

"You're better than that."

She looked at him, "You mean that?"

He sighed, attempting to phrase his response in a way she would understand.  "Humans are disgusting creatures.  Humanity is a malignant cancer… yet you embody none of the infectious traits inherent in your species.  You are unlike any being of your type I have ever encountered."

"You could've just said I was special."

"Perhaps."

"I appreciate it… either way."

He stared across the water, trying to occupy his mind.  The atmosphere had already faded into dusk and flaming hues of pink and yellow blazed across the sky.  He found himself almost smiling, yet remained casually stone-faced as usual.  His gaze shifted to his companion.  She was completely absorbed in the landscape.  She had that starry-eyed look on her face.  He had seen it before, when she looked at the stars or into the night.  Her long hair flailed wildly in the breeze, swept behind her face.  Her shirt, now transformed into casual attire seemed to compliment her figure… or perhaps he had never noticed it before.  The skirt she wore today had a small slit in the front, not provocative but a nice accent to what would have otherwise been a bland garment.

"What?" She asked, interrupting his train of thought.

"Nothing."  He stammered.  He mentally slapped himself.  Why did he care what she was wearing?  It was not his job to analyze her clothing!  So why had he caught himself doing it… twice, three times?

"Pretty intense nothing."  She replied.

"I like your skirt." He said, and immediately regretted it.

She was blushing.  "Thank you." She managed.

Smith felt something… not regret, but the hot rush of embarrassment.  Why the hell had he said that?  He was doing an extremely exceptional job at being subtle.  God, was he being sarcastic?  "I am sorry…"

"No, don't be sorry… I'm flattered."

He looked at her, "Really?"   

She nodded with a smile.  He was blushing.  Not as badly as she was, but she could detect the physical effects of his embarrassment.  Why he was embarrassed, she didn't know.  Neither did she know why _she_ was embarrassed.

Awkward silence.

Jade laughed.

Smith looked at her, perplexed.  "What is so funny?"

"For a second there, I felt like a teenager again."

"What do you mean?"

"Not knowing what to say... you know?"

He still looked confused.

"Ok, so maybe you don't.  Strike that from the record."

He nodded.

"Do you wanna go eat?" She asked.

"If you are hungry."

"Let's go." She said, dragging him to dinner.

By the time she reached her apartment, it was a quarter past midnight, but Jade was strangely awake.  The food had been wonderful, and so had the company, save one awkward incident.  Well, so what?  He was an AI after all, and it was his job to observe things so he had just probably noticed her skirt.  She smiled, calling to mind the image of him blushing.  It seemed so wrong for an Agent to blush, and she had expected it to look odd but instead, it seemed natural and well… cute.  She had just used "cute" and "Agent Smith" in the same sentence… and meant it.  Well he said that he liked her skirt, so they were even!  She could make innocent observations of him, just as he was allowed to do of her.  She sighed, setting her alarm clock.  She would undoubtedly have to work extra tomorrow… but she honestly didn't mind.  As for her coworkers… well, she couldn't care less what her coworkers would think tomorrow.  Hell, they probably hadn't even noticed!  It had been a wonderful day, and worthy of any consequence.  She turned down the covers and climbed into bed, pulling the sheets back over her.  She couldn't get herself to stop smiling!  Why?  She felt giddy, almost drunk- without the consumption of alcohol.  She laughed, the image of Smith's blushing face consuming her memory.  She recalled their lunch, what had been the catalyst for her spontaneous behavior.  He was like a child, reluctant to experiment with new things.  His reaction to sushi was funny… kind of like it had been with the peanut butter and Oreos.  What had enthralled her most had been the chopsticks.  She smiled, even now.  No one had taught her the right way to use them.  He mother got frustrated with it and gave up after a few minutes.  Her father always used a fork.  He never saw the point in complicating eating.  Stella, well she had tried once, but then realized it was the thing she could do and her sister could not and typically used it against her.

_"Look, Stell, you need to rewrite this!"_

_"How do you know?  You can't even use chopsticks!"_

But Smith… he had done it so simply, and without asking.  He didn't loose patience because she didn't understand.  He didn't get rough with her in frustration, shoving the sticks crudely in her fingers as her mother had.  She shuddered at the memory.  Jade couldn't place them the right way, maybe because she was watching her mother from across the table.  He mother lost her temper, _"What are you, stupid?!" she had said, forcing the splintering sticks into her hands.  She'd gotten a splinter that day.  For some reason, she'd cried.  She could feel her mother's rough hands pull the sticks out of her hands and with a wet napkin, clean the trickle of blood that dripped from her finger.  Smith's hands had felt so different… they were smooth and warm.  He moved her fingers carefully, almost like he was trying to be gentle. His skin felt human… well, why shouldn't it?  That's the way he was designed.  What did she expect it to feel like?  …sandpaper, perhaps.  It surprised her to find how nice it felt.  Now she was thinking about his hands?!  What was with her tonight?  She chalked it up to observation and rolled onto her side, seeking sleep.  For a while, it was denied.  But she did sleep, and well.  In her sleep, she dreamt.  And it was very different from any dream she'd had._


	9. Art

  
A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed so far... it means alot.

  
  
**Answers**

  


By Jaded Starlight

  
  
**

Chapter Eight:

**  
**

Art

**  


For the first time since her return to work, she was not nervous.  She had showered and picked out an outfit different from her usual attire.  She entered the building twenty minutes late, but did not care.  The eyes of her coworkers immediately fixed on her as she was accustomed to.  Their eyes this time were wide in disbelief.  Jade's hair hung loosely, curled at the ends down her back.  Her skirt was business appropriate in length.  Her jacket matched her skirt in material and color, as did the tank top she wore beneath it.  The color, however, deviated from the business norm.   By definition, it was rose.  By eye, it was bright pink.  Today she met their glances with her own.  With a smile.

She almost laughed as she finally made it to her desk.  She was ready to start typing when her boss approached her.

"Jade… I need to speak with you."

"Sure…"

"In my office."

"Okay."  She followed, maintaining her image.  She would not back down. She couldn't.  She stepped into the familiar office and the door closed behind them.  Mr. Westburg took a seat and advised her to do the same.

"I know what happened yesterday.  Don't try to explain."

Well, she was bound to get the axe sooner or later.

"Your government friend called, explained everything.  Not in detail of course, it's government business and I understand that.  But I want you to know that if you need anything at all, please come to me."

She bit her lip to keep from laughing and nodded.

"Now, because of your circumstances, I'd like to see you out of this office by three.  No exceptions.  I'm upping your paycheck."

She was shocked.  "Why?"

"We fired Elizabeth."

"Why?"

"What's-her-name… Fran, the tightass caught them- well, you know."

Jade laughed.  "Living well is the best revenge."

Her employer smiled. "That it is."

"Anything else for me?" She asked.

"Take care of yourself."

She nodded.  "I am."

He opened the door for her, and she immediately thought of Smith.  She smiled at her boss and again sat at her desk.  She saw the phone and tried to suppress the urge to call him.  Well, she had a reason, didn't she? 

"Hello?"

"Were you planning on telling me that you got me off the hook, or was I gonna have to find out myself?"

He smiled.  "I thought it would be a nice surprise."

"You thought right.  What exactly did you tell him?"

"Something about a terrorist network linked to your attacker… I told him our organization needed to speak with you."

She laughed.  "Nice cover."

"Humans are easily manipulated.  With the exception of yourself."

"I'm touched."

"Ha, ha." He laughed dryly.

"Thanks though.  I got a raise and a shorter workday."

"Congratulations.  When does your workday conclude?"

"Three."

"Interesting."

"Uh oh.  It sounds like Smith has an idea…"

"As I recall, you seemed to enjoy my idea yesterday."

"I most definitely did.  Did you?"

"What?" He sounded confused.

"Yesterday.  Did you have fun?"

Pause.

"She began humming the "Jeopardy" theme song.

"Stop that infernal tune!"

She laughed.  "Did you have a good time?"

"…Yes.  I had the human equivalent of a 'good time'."

"Was that so hard?"

He growled.

She laughed.  She heard a door open and close.

"I must go.  My associates have just arrived."

"It's ok.  I'll talk to you later."

"Alright."

"Bye!"

Click.

Two faces looked at the third in perplexity.

"Are you going to stand there like idiots or say something?!"

Jones flustered.  "Erm… yes, of course.  We… um… hello?"

Smith reached for his gun and paused for a moment.  Gritting his teeth, he dropped his hands to his sides and sighed.  "_Hello_, Agent Jones."

Jones had recoiled into a defensive position, bracing himself for the inevitable gunshot, which to his surprise, didn't come.  

"We have a briefing." Brown said.

Smith nodded and joined his colleagues.  Agent Jones was still perplexed.  Thankful, but perplexed.  

Jade was busy typing when three of her coworkers interrupted.  She knew them; they had gone to lunch on several occasions and organized the office Christmas party.

"Jade, sweetie, you need a break." The redhead dressed in black said.

"Actually, I think I just needed to get back to work."  Well, this would be amusing.

The brunette laughed.  "You _can't_ be serious.  This shit hole?"

"There's an art exhibit at the museum all week, we're all going on Friday night."  The blond one explained, "You wanna come?"

"Thanks Maureen, but I can't." Jade replied, feigning disappointment.

The three simultaneously pouted.

Jade tried not to laugh.

"Well, would you like to have lunch tomorrow?" The brunette tried.

"I have an appointment.  Sorry, Amy."

"Appointment?" The redhead asked.  "You're a secretary, since when to _you_ have appointments?"

Ok.  Now she was pissed.

"It's probably with that guy she left with yesterday." Maureen chimed.

"The _rich guy in a _nice car_ with a _business suit_?" Amy added, rather obnoxiously._

"Actually," Jade said, "yes.  It is with him."

The three exchanged glances.

"Now, if you'll excuse me it's three and my workday is over." She said, standing up and grabbing her purse as she brushed past them without a second glance.   She stepped out of the building with an elated sigh.  That was… invigorating.

"Excuse me, Miss…" A familiar voice asked, "do you have the time?"

Her head whipped around and found its source.  "Smith, you're going to give me a heart attack!"

He smiled.  "I thought it was creative."

"Creative, yes.  But scary."

"My apologies."

"It's ok.  I'm gonna take a wild guess and say that you were in the neighborhood."

"I wanted to be sure your workday went smoothly.  It is my job, of course."

"Riiiight." She replied, catching sight of the three women behind the glass, watching her.  She smiled.  "Do you have anything to do this afternoon?"

"No.  Why?"

"Do you like art?" She asked with a smile.

"This is perhaps the most bizarre thing I have ever witnessed." A confused, frowning Agent Smith observed.

She laughed.  "This piece is a bit… strange."

"Strange?" He asked, "It's a boot glued to canvas!"

"Ok, so it's a bit unconventional."

He snorted.  "Understatement."

She sighed, rolling her eyes.  "I get it, you don't like it… sheesh." She said, "We'll look at another one."   They left the modern art wing.  "Here, it's Picasso.  You'll like him."

Smith cringed.  "What makes you think so?"

"… I don't know.  Just … be open minded, hard as that is for you." She reminded.

"_Guerncia." Smith read.  "It looks worse than the shoe."_

She laughed.  "It's named after the town Hitler bombed in Spain… when they were at war with France in the 30's."

The Agent looked at her curiously.  "How do you see that?"

"Just look," She said, "the women and children and the animals… the pain and chaos… over there," she said, pointing, "you see the flames?"

He did.

"The surrealism and use of double images… do you see the objects kind of metamorphosed into each other?  The horse and the bull?"

Smith downloaded information on this Picasso.  He had of course known of him but not in the depth Jade was explaining.  He then squinted at the painting, observing what she had referenced.  "How did you know that?"

"I was raised by Picasso, Monet, and Van Gough." She explained.

"Of the three, who do you prefer?" He asked as they strolled leisurely.

"Van Gough."

"Really?" He asked, screwing his face in confusion.

"Yeah.  What?" She responded to his facial expression.

"I just thought you would have been inclined to Monet." He replied.

"I love Monet and all but you don't get any emotion from his work until the end of his career.  Van Gough's stuff is just incredible."

"He was insane."

"All geniuses are."

"Monet was not insane.  He was respected as a genius."

She offered a glance, "Did you miss the part of his career when he became a misanthropic hermit?"

Smith remained silent.  "How did you come to know so much about art?  Are you involved in the field?"

She laughed.  "No, no, hell no." She said, "My mother.  She was… well, she called herself an artist."

He nodded.

"I say: just because no one understands you doesn't mean you're an artist."

He smiled.

"Most of them are just Indie-wanna-be's who have no talent and walk around smoking cigarettes saying stuff," She paused dramatically, "'I'm, like, tortured and crap!'  But then you have those people who make art because of their vision and passion… and you can tell.  You can see that these people paint or draw or whatever for themselves, not for recognition."

He nodded.

"Maybe I'm cynical after living with my mother so long… but that's just how I feel."

"Your mother called herself an artist?" He questioned.

"Yeah."

"Would you say she was?"

She paused a moment, making eye contact and then avoiding it.  "No.  She had no passion." She replied quietly.  "The only reason they didn't divorce was my dad.  He knew she cheated.  He knew everything, but he wouldn't let her leave… because of us.  Me and Stel.  She'd be working on some excuse for a painting and I'd ask what it was and she'd be like, 'it's an impressionist neo-modern portrait of my caged soul' or something stupid like that.  I never understood any of her waste of paint.  It was always dark or moody or towards the end, streaks of red.  I asked her if she could draw a picture of us and she just laughed at me.  'art captures a thing of beauty.  Why would I waste it on us?'  Somehow, my dad put up with her.  I don't know how, but he did." She stopped walking and lingered idly before a painting.  "Out of everyone, though, I always appreciated Escher.  No one really knows much about him, but God his work is fascinating.  This one… the first one I'd ever seen, I always felt like it described me.  I know it's bizarre.  That and his Sinking Cathedral."

He observed what appeared to be a lithograph.  It was called "Relativity".  It was strange… staircases leading sideways, up, down and everywhere.  There were walls and floors and ceilings all serving the other's function.  The figured appeared to treat this scene with regularity, as if it were customary.  "It is certainly strange." He said, "Why do you choose this specific work?"

"You see how nonsensical it is.  Totally impossible.  The people in the picture are just acting like it's normal.  It creates a feeling of isolation, you know?  Kind of like, if life's a joke it's on you."

"You were undoubtedly overlooked, were you not?"

"Well, I wasn't neglected or anything." She replied.

"I did not mean it in that sense."

She knew what he was asking.  "It was hard for them, you know?  My dad had to take care of Stella because my mother was always running around like a nutcase. Guess it's a good thing I was easily amused."

He ignored her joke.  "I sense distain toward your mother." He replied, putting it mildly.

"I loved my mother.  I really did, even if I didn't like her.  She wasn't always a 'tortured artist'.  There were times she tried to be a parent, but anything that didn't come easily she generally avoided.  I learned a lot from her."

"And your father?  What was he like?"

"Well, Dr. Freud, my father played the piano, guitar and the violin.  He was in a rock band back in college and that was how he met my mother.  They played a gig at her school and the rest is history.  But he was a good man.  He wasn't always there, but he tried damn hard to be.  When my mother quit working he took two jobs and hadda raise us on the side.  He was calm, levelheaded.  Everything my mother wasn't, you know?"

"He is currently deceased?"

"Yeah.  He died when I was seventeen."

Smith referenced her file.  "That was the same year during which your sister and mother passed."

Jade nodded.  "Wasn't my favorite year."

Smith was still confused.  "What happened to them?"

She sighed.  "They said my mom was mugged, they found her in some alley with her wallet and everything.  It was an excuse.  My dad was hit by a car that didn't exist.  Stella just collapsed."

Smith was silent.

"I think it was the Resistance." She said in a whisper.

Smith's eyes grew wide.  

"Think about it.  A mugging with nothing taken, a hit-and-run without a licensed car, lying there like someone pulled the plug… it all screams Resistance."

"But why you?  Why would they target you in such a way?"

"I've always thought of it as punishment."

"For what?"

"Going back.  Nobody goes back, they can't.  It's a rule.  I guess they figured if they took everything away binding me to the Matrix, I'd want out."

"But you didn't."

She offered a small smile.  "There was nothing for me in either place.  So I opted for my pride and continued life in the Matrix.  A girl's gotta have something."

Smith agreed.  "I am sorry you had to go through that."

She waved her hand.  "Don't be.  Bad as it was, it could've been worse."

"That is one way to look at it."

"Everyone needs a raging optimist."

She'd said that before.  "I guess you are right."

"There's always two ways to see things… my mother saw them one way, I see them the other.  I always had confidence that everything just made me stronger." She explained, "Then again, 'what does not kill me postpones the inevitable'."

Smith laughed.  "Where did you hear that?"

"Some random magazine that I got in the mail… it had all these sarcastic lithographs and stuff.  It was pretty funny.  One of them made me think of you."

"Which was that?" He asked.

"'If a pretty poster and a cute saying are all it takes to motivate you, you probably have a very easy job.  The kind that robots will be doing soon.'"

Smith could not help but laugh.  He tried to stifle the noise, but could not.  The eyes of everyone in the quiet and somewhat somber room turned to him, offering a scornful glance.

"I'm sorry," He offered, "I was not aware we were at a funeral. Please, go back to your bongo drums, black eyeliner and suicidal poetry."  With that, he grabbed Jade's arm and ran out of the museum.

"I'm dying to know what _that was about."  Jade asked, standing on the museum steps with her hands on her hips._

Smith grinned.  "I have absolutely no idea."

A smile began to form on Jade's lips.  She tried to suppress the grin, but she could not.  _"Please, go back to your bongo drums, black eyeliner and suicidal poetry." She barreled over, laughing uncontrollably._

Smith could tell that Jade was what humans would call, "cracking up".  She had a nice laugh.  A bit loud, but not obnoxious.  Her eyes sparkled when she laughed, perhaps it could be the result of the tears she wiped away.  

"I can't believe you actually said that."

"Why?"

"…because!"

"Because?  Because I wanted to."

"I've wanted to say that to a lot of people, too."

"Why haven't you?"

"Because it's rude!"

"Maybe.  But you are entitled to your own opinion."

"They're opinionated too!"

"If you do not like or know them, why does it matter?"

She paused.  "You've got a point."

"Of course I do." He replied with a smile.

"Oh, is that how it is now?" She asked, a smirk on her face.

He returned the expression.  "Without question."

"Really?"

"Really."

"We'll see about that." She replied mischievously.

"That sounds like a challenge, Miss Turner." He replied, narrowing his eyes.

"Caught on to me, did ya?" She returned.

"You are undoubtedly brave to challenge _me_." He said, emphasizing the last word still playing along.

"I wouldn't say I'm brave," She said in a low voice, leaning up to his ear with one hand on his chest and the other on his shoulder, "just very, very… crafty." She said, quickly reaching into the breast pocket of his jacket and grabbing his sunglasses before he realized what she had done.

As she waved the glasses tauntingly in front of him with an innocent look on her face he smiled huge.  "You may be crafty, but I ask you this: just how fast can you run?"  

After a pause, Jade knew what he meant and bolted into the park, the Agent trailing not far behind.  Smith was thoroughly enjoying this.  He was running slow enough to keep a distance between them, enough for Jade to assume she had the edge.  She was crafty, but only human.

She checked over her shoulder frequently, looking ahead only to ensure that she would not have a head-on with a tree or a child or some soccer mom.  She saw he was about to speed up and make a dive for her so she dug her heels into the ground and stepped to the side as the Agent collided with the ground.

He didn't move.

She sighed.  "I know you're fine, Smith.  This is the kind of stunt that third graders pull playing tag or something.  Plus, if you really were injured, you'd have switched bodies or something."

A hand came down on her shoulder and she gasped, dropping the glasses to the ground.  The hand reached down and took the shades and replaced them inside his jacket.  "Thanks!" he said.

Jade was in shock.  She watched the man on the ground as he stood, puzzled for a moment and scratched his head before walking off.  "Don't ever do that to me again!" She shouted, hitting his arm.

"Do what?"

"The switching bodies thing!  God, I thought it was… just please, don't do it."

He understood and the smile was gone from his face.  She'd had enough trauma, no need to make it worse over a pair of sunglasses.  "I am sorry."

"It's ok." She said, and in one fluid movement again took possession of the sunglasses.

"You…"

She giggled.  "Me."

"Keep them if you want." He said.

"Really?"

"Sure."

She tried them on and they slid down her nose, obviously too big for her.  She laughed and folded them before handing them to their owner.  "They're a little big."

He smiled and pocketed the glasses.

He saw her home and waited until he was certain that she was safely inside.  He spent a moment in the driver's seat, contemplating the day's events.  The art exhibit had been what humans would call 'fun', but surprisingly, the activity that proved most enjoyable was the short chase over his sunglasses.  He did not know why such a simple action had been the source of so much entertainment.  It was best not to analyze it.  He had to admit, Jade was indeed very crafty.  He shuddered, remembering her whispering to him.  It had obviously been part of her 'plan' to get his glasses, but there was something about it… something he couldn't place.  Human beings would see her behavior as flirtatious, but was that her intent?  Why did he care in the first place?


	10. Cleaning

  
A/N: you guys rock! I wrote this chapter after seeing Mamma Mia... i certainly don't own ABBA and i'm borrowing their lyrics.

  
  
**Answers**

  


By Jaded Starlight

  
  
**

Chapter Nine:

**  
**

Cleaning

**  


Jade smiled to herself as she admired her work.  She'd just installed an "employee stress relief" kit in the break room.  It consisted of a circle that said, "HIT HEAD HERE".  She thought it was pretty funny.  As she retreated back to her desk, she brushed by Maureen, Amy and Kristen.  Not that it was significant of course, but the act in itself gave Jade a feeling of superiority.  Contented, she began to hum to herself as she typed whatever memo her boss had to throw at her. 

"Jade," Mr. Westburg began, "do you know who put up that stress relief kit in the break room?"

"I did."

He smiled.  "I love it!"

She smiled.  "You should see what I did to the shredder."

"God help us all…" He joked as he headed off.

She smiled to herself, wondering what his reaction would be to the new "Employee Suggestion Box" once called the shredder.  She also wondered if he would get the joke. She shrugged and got back to typing.  She never could get the hang of Thursdays.

Blue eyes remained fixed on the clock across the room.  The hands moved teasingly slow from one tick mark to the other, the second hand seemed to linger on every number only serving to add to the annoyance that was time.  Then again, what was time anyway?  Just a measure of the duration of an activity.  Time was purely dimensional, a device created by simple creatures compelled to structure their lives.

"Agent Smith, do you have an opinion on the matter?"

What matter? He blinked and saw his two colleagues, one sitting the other standing and both looking at him waiting for an answer.  "I suppose so.  However, I shall wait until I hear your concerns before addressing my own."

Brown nodded.  "Yes, of course.  Agent Jones, if I may have the honors?"

The seated Agent nodded.

Blah, blah, blah… Agent Brown blathered on and on about something pointless and uninteresting, probably about the brand of staplers the Agency had switched to.  Damn Agent Brown and his Swingline.  Jade would find that amusing.  His attention was again focused on the clock.  He growled inaudibly as he watched the hands mock him.  He looked at his coworkers… if only _they weren't here.  If the other two Agents would just leave the room, Smith could easily change the time.  Neither would be able to hold him responsible for the loss of time, nor would they suspect him as the culprit.  He had done it once… it had been so subtle no one had really taken note.  He'd only forwarded it a few hours.  Glitches like that happened frequently in the Matrix, whether a manipulation of the system by an authority figure or a program running mad or just a simple damaged line of code, it was never too significant.  As for the two major glitches inherent to the system… well, they had developed a human description for them: Daylight Savings Time.  Humans… such idiots.   _

Jade noticed the little red light on her phone flashing.  She pulled off her headphones thankfully and answered the call.

"Hello, Mr. Westburg's office, Jade Turner speaking."

"Good afternoon, Jade."

"Oh, hey Smith.  What's up?"

"I will not be able to meet you after your workday… it seems that my colleagues are on to something that requires my assistance."

He sounded disappointed.  "It's ok."

"I will make it up to you."

"Don't worry about it." She insisted.  "I'll get a chance to clean my apartment.  I've been putting it off and it _really_ needs to get done."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive.  Now go have fun doing… whatever it is you Agents do."

She could almost hear him cringe.  "I'm afraid it's not much fun at all."

"Eh, at least you're not taking inventory."

"True.  …I guess I should be going…"

"Bye, Smith."

"I will see you tomorrow."

Click.

She sighed as she hung up the phone.  She couldn't help but be disappointed.  There went her afternoon entertainment.  Well, she would occupy herself.  Besides, her apartment was reaching new levels of filth she never thought possible.  At least the shower was.  Maybe she would go shopping and redecorate.  She'd wanted to change things around for a while, but never had the time or the capital.  Both those issues were now resolved.  And it was a way to pass the time.  She supposed that she could go out with "the girls", but cringed at the thought.  Her IQ would drop at least 20 points in their company.  This way, she'd have time to herself… who was she kidding?  She'd get through the day and see him tomorrow.  He did say that he would make it up to her, and sounded definitive about seeing her tomorrow.  Just a few hours, really.  

A few hours passed and Jade was struggling fiercely with the vacuum cleaner.  The bathroom was now orderly, her bedroom received some new accents and her living room was in the process of being revamped, though she dared not open the door to the storage closet.  She had opted for distracting herself with shopping, which though costly proved otherwise effective. Of course, the one thing she neglected to buy was a new vacuum.  Always the little things…  

Knock, knock.

She sighed.  Today she's had five visitors in the time she had been home.  In four hours a magazine sales representative, Girl Scout, landlady, wrong door and the UPS guy had all shown up.  She didn't feel her heart jump at the noise like it had the previous times.  It probably realized that he was not going to be there.  She opened the door and was not surprised in the least.

"Are you insured?  Do you realize the benefit-"

"No thank you." She said, shutting the door in the salesman's face.  She sighed in annoyance.  She was never going to finish.

Knock, knock.

She let out an irritated growl and opened the door in frustration, "Look, buddy whatever you're trying to sell me, I don't want it!"

The Agent smiled in her doorway.  "I do not wish to sell anything; rather I'd like to buy something."

The realization hit her like a ton of bricks.  She almost laughed.  "And what's that?"

"A bit of your time."

She sighed.  "I don't know… it'll cost ya."

"Then it is a price," He said, "I am willing to pay."

She grinned and invited him inside.

"I believe you told me earlier that you planned on _cleaning_ your apartment…"

"Ha, ha.  I cleaned the bathroom and the bedroom.  I'm working on the rest."

"Did you eat yet?"

She thought… no, she'd been so focused on distracting herself that she had forgotten to eat.  She also realized that she was hungry.  "I guess I forgot."

"Well then I assume we will be ordering in."

She offered a puzzled glace.

"We cannot very well leave this the way it is." He said, gesturing at the living room.

She smiled, "Guess you're right.  I'll order us some pizza."

"No strange toppings?"

She smirked at him, "No, not this time. Cheese will do."

He sighed in relief.  "Thank God."

She shook her head as she dialed the number and placed the order.

"Where would you like to start?" He asked, surveying what could be easily mistaken for the aftermath of a hurricane.

She collapsed on the couch.  "There's no way we'll fix this damn room.  I should never have tried to begin with."

She had a point.  Still, he did not like to see her upset.  The Agent sat himself beside her quietly, not knowing what to say.  He had never before encountered such a scenario and found himself searching for words he could not find.  It was not the vocabulary he lacked, but something else.  He didn't know what, but it was thoroughly frustrating.  "It's no so bad."  What a response.  That's superior intelligence at work.

She sent him a look.  "Are you kidding?  It's a nightmare."

"So?  I thought you enjoyed a challenge."

She raised an eyebrow.  "You callin me a liar?"

"I don't know.   Is it or isn't it true?"

"Smith, go get some garbage bags."

He smiled as he stood and completed his task.

"So, how do you think it looks?" She asked as they stood back to admire their work.

"I didn't think it could be done."

"What, you doubted me?"

"Not for a moment.  You doubted yourself." He replied.

"Ok, ok.  Point taken.  But do you like it?"

"Yes.  But there's something about the couch I'm not fond of."

"You're right." She admitted.

"What?" He asked, noticing the flatness of her tone.

"Nothing… it's just, I've had that thing forever," She said, and then in a thoughtful tone, "…and I hate it.  I hate that couch."

Smith simply listened.

"Help me get rid of it." She said.

Once they had somehow gotten the couch outside, they made their way upstairs again.  The pizza arrived not long after.

"It looks kinda empty." She said, taking a bite of her pizza.

"I'm sure that you will find an adequate replacement for it."  The Agent replied.

"Me too.  It's about time I got rid of that thing."  She said, "Thank you for the help."

"It was my pleasure.  Is there anything else that would require my assistance?"

She nodded no.  "Everything's fine… except the closet.  I haven't been in there for years, so I'm probably growing some new class of bacteria."

"Then perhaps now would be the best time to clear it out."

She nodded no emphatically.  "Could be potentially hazardous."

"Then you had better step back." He said, standing in front of the closet door.

"Fine.  Open it at your own risk." She replied, standing as far back as she could.

Smith shook his head as he turned the knob and opened the door.  Several items came falling out and a musty smell filled the room.  "What are you keeping in there?!"

She shrugged.  "Whatever it is, it doesn't smell too good."  She replied, walking closer to the mess called the closet.

Smith returned with a garbage bag and the two set out to conquer the mess.  Then, Jade noticed something toward the back of the closet.  She carefully stepped inside and emerged with a large black case, obviously used for carrying an instrument of some sort.

"Jade, what are you doing?"

She set the case on the floor and knelt next to it.  It was tinted gray from the accumulation of dust.  Jade unzipped it with haste and Smith watched as an expression of joy and nostalgia came over her face.

"What is it?" He asked curiously.

"I don't believe it… it's my dad's guitar.  I thought I'd thrown it away years ago."

Smith sat beside her on the floor as she lifted the instrument from its case.  She blew on it, in hopes to rid it of some dust.  She ran her fingers along the guitar's neck and examined the strings.  Surprisingly, they had not yet begun to rust.  She played the first string and concentrated on the sound as she turned the knob at the head.  She played it again, satisfied with the sound.  She progressed to the next string and did the same until all the strings were in tune.

"Can you play?"

"Only a little.  But I haven't tried in years."

"Then play something." It was more of a question than a statement.

"Okay." She conceded, "But I have to warn you: my dad was a huge ABBA fan and that's just about all I can play."

Smith did not seem to mind.  He watched as her fingers found their way to their designated strings and rested comfortably.

She sighed.  "I warned you."  She said before strumming the first chord.  Her fingers moved gracefully from chord to chord of the sweet, mellow melody.  She began to hum along, remembering the words and chord progression.  In a nearly inaudible voice, Smith heard her sing.  "I have a dream, a song to sing… to help me cope, with anything…If you see the wonder of a fairy tale, you can take the future even if you fail…"

She was completely absorbed in the song.  Her voice grew louder, as if she felt comfortable with it.  Smith in all honesty was convinced that whoever ABBA was could not compare with Jade.  She had never told him she could sing…

"I have a dream, a fantasy… to help me through reality… And my destination makes it worth the while… pushing through the darkness still another mile…"

He listened as her voice seemed to hypnotize him.

"I believe in angels… something good in everything I see…I believe in angels… when I know the time is right for me…I'll cross the stream… I have a dream." She repeated the latter verse and strummed the chords once more in sequence.  She opened her eyes and sat awkwardly for a moment.  She lowered her eyes and stared intently at the ground.

"That was… incredible."

Her head snapped around and looked at her companion.  "Are you kidding?"

"No, Jade, that was magnificent…"

"Thank you…" She replied bashfully.

"You never told me you could sing."

"Everyone can sing." She retorted.

"Not like _that_.  Not like you."

"Please, it's nothing spectacular." She replied.

"I very much enjoyed it."  He said.

She made eye contact.  "You did?"

"Would I have said so if I were otherwise inclined?" He asked with a hint of a smile.

She smiled.  "Thank you."

"Can you play anything else?"

She thought a moment.  "The only other song I remember is _Name of the Game_."

"Well… are you going to play it?" He asked with pleading eyes.

She sighed, giving in.  "Okay.  Again, you've been warned." She said.  She began to strum the chords; this song had a slightly faster tempo than the previous one.  There was something about the way her hands moved on the strings… and then her voice as she began to sing the lyrics in that soft melodious tone, "I've seen you twice, in a short time… Only a week since we started… It seems to me, for every time…I'm getting more open-hearted…"

God her voice was amazing.  It was not an opera voice, perhaps similar to what a Broadway actress would have.  It was… indescribable.  Entrancing would suffice for now.

"I was an impossible case…No one ever could reach me…But I think I can see in your face…There's a lot you can teach me…So I wanna know…"

"What's the name of the game?  Does it mean anything to you?  What's the name of the game?  Can you feel it the way I do?"

Such passion behind her words.  It was almost as if there was a conviction behind them.  Her voice was strong and at the same time harmonious.  It was soothing, almost.  He recognized her facial expression.  Her eyes closed, muscles relaxed, the position she seemed to adopt whenever loosing herself in some natural oblivion. 

"And you make me talk…And you make me feel…And you make me show…What I'm trying to conceal…If I trust in you, would you let me down?  Would you laugh at me, if I said I care for you?  Could you feel the same way too?  I wanna know… what's the name of the game?"

If he had not been so enthralled, he would have devised an excuse and left.  These words disturbed him somehow.  They shouldn't.  They were only lyrics written by some bad European band, but he could see the same feeling reflected in her expression for a brief moment.  Whatever it was, Smith was not sure if he liked it.

"I have no friends, no one to see…And I am never invited…Now I am here, talking to you…No wonder I get excited… Your smile, and the sound of your voice…And the way you see through me…Got a feeling, you give me no choice…But it means a lot to me…So I wanna know… what's the name of the game?"

Whatever awkwardness the previous verse had caused had been dispelled by a simple, powerful ending.  She allowed the melody to dissolve into nothingness after she had finished the song.  Smith had the feeling that he could have listened to her for hours more.

"I believe that the accurate human response would be: wow."

She smiled.  "Good wow or bad wow?"

"Indescribably good wow."

"Agent Smith is at a loss for words… guess I did something right!" She joked.

"You do a lot of things right."

"Thanks." She sighed, "I'm sorry I tortured you with ABBA."

"I believe that you could sing anything and make it pleasing."

She laughed.  "That's how my dad was.  He'd sing everything, Hendrix, the Doors, you know?  I don't know how ABBA worked itself into his taste, but he'd make those songs beautiful.  He could play Latin music like nobody's business.  I never got the hang of classical guitar…"

"If I may say so, I certainly think he passed some of his talent on to you."

"You may." She replied.  "You know, I really missed this thing."

"You play it exceptionally."

"Is there a reason for the excessive compliments or am I just that good?" She joked.

"You do not give yourself enough credit." He replied.

"Well, I guess I should start then."

He nodded.

"But before I do, I think we should clean up the rest of this mess."

Smith surveyed the filth lying before him.  "Perhaps you're right."

Smith found himself humming to himself as he set out for his car.  It had been the later song Jade had played for him… _Name of the Game_.  She had played it a second time after they had finished with the mess of a closet.  The two of them had sat on her empty floor with the second box of pizza, enjoying simple conversation and each other's company.  It had taken a while to convince her, but eventually Jade had given in and played the song for him again.  She was more comfortable with it the second time around.  He could feel it in her voice.  The chords progressed loosely, almost effortlessly.  He'd persuaded her to sing with her eyes opened, she had no reason to be embarrassed or shy about her talent.  There was a drastic change in the sound.  It became free, unrestrained.  He could've listened to her all night.  It was very rare for him to "enjoy" anything as simple as vocal talent.  There had been a piece of music or two that provoked a positive response, but nothing as deep as what he'd heard tonight.  From her description, he would've put a bullet in the radio before he listened to ABBA, but she worked a type of magic on the words that only she seemed to have.

He reached the car and paused for a moment before turning the ignition.  Once the car had started, he began the drive toward the Agency, all the while humming the tune with whatever words he could remember.  They somehow nagged at him, the splinter throbbing more than ever in the back of his mind.  Still, he hummed.  He didn't give it much thought; there was no need to confuse himself on a night like this.  The stars poked through the infinite blackness of the clear night sky, the air was slightly cool and he had a song in his head.  He parked some blocks from the building so he could remain in that state a little longer.  He stood before the glass doors of the Agency and sighed.  He almost didn't want to go inside.  Instead, he wanted to wander aimlessly about the night and hum until the sun came up.  He stared at the building, cold, gray, unwelcoming.  He didn't like it much.  He stared at his reflection in the tinted glass.  He straightened his tie and replaced his sunglasses before buttoning his jacket and smoothing the material.  Perhaps he'd surprise her by picking her up a bit earlier… 


	11. Comfort

  
A/N: thank you SO much for reviewing... you have no idea how much it means!

  
  
**Answers**

  


By Jaded Starlight

  
  
**

Chapter Ten:

**  
**

Comfort

**  


She found herself absentmindedly humming all day.  It had been the song Smith asked her to sing twice.  She still could not believe that he'd gotten her to sing.  She hadn't even sung for her father.  Maybe sometimes in the shower or with the radio, but never for someone else.  She was confident, but she could not help being unsure about herself in certain scenarios.  He had liked her voice, or so he said.  He would not have asked for an encore if he didn't like it, right?  Now wasn't the time to worry about it.  Besides, he had looked like he was enjoying it.  At least, he looked like that when she opened her eyes.  Of all songs, she had to sing that one.  She found it unnervingly appropriate.  She hated to admit it, but the lyrics were right on target.  Well, so what if she cared about him?  He had to care about her.  After all, that was his _job.  So she was basically reciprocating the action.  It wasn't like anyone else was doing much caring for her._

One thirty seven.

She hated working.  She hadn't even had lunch yet.  Maybe she was just hungry.  She caught her head in her hands and sighed as she starred at the white computer screen.  Her intent gaze was broken by her boss's voice.

"Jade… um, your government friend is here.  Says he needs you for another interview or something."

Government friend?  Smith?  "What?" She spun around and saw her boss standing behind her.  "Where?"

"He's waiting in my office.  I thought it'd be less of a shock if I came and got you." He explained.

Jade smiled.  "Thank you, Mr. Westburg." She said, grabbing her purse and entering the office where Smith was sitting, waiting impatiently.  She grinned, suppressing laughter.

He stood as they entered the room, "I appreciate this, Mr. Westburg."

"I appreciate you taking care of Jade.  Keep her safe, will you?"

Smith nodded.  "That is my job."

The two men shook hands and Smith started down the corridor with Jade at his side.  "Nice job." She whispered.

"Thank you." He replied, holding the door open for her.

They stepped outside to find it a dismal day, clouds threatening a storm any minute hanging above their heads.

"Guess outdoor activities are out of the question."  Jade said.

"I thought we could get some lunch, then perhaps find a suitable sofa to replace your old one." Smith suggested.

"Sounds good." She replied, "I'm starving."

If asked, he could not explain why he had picked her up early.  He had considered it, but he didn't actually think he would.  It probably had something to do with that goddamn tune permanently lodged in his skull.  Truthfully, he didn't mind it.  That confused him more than anything.  It had infuriated him all night.  He had not slept, not that he needed to, but still it had prevented him from drifting into the sleep-like state he usually entered during extended periods of latency.  It was that festering splinter, growing more and more infectious every day.  The only time it seemed to calm was in her presence.  Besides, he couldn't risk being caught humming to himself if Agent Brown or Jones were to walk in.  _That would go over really well.  He restrained rising laughter._

Jade smiled, "What's so funny?"

"No, nothing." He said, still grinning madly.

"Because you smile _so _often."

"I've had that song in my head…the one you played last night.  I've been humming it since."

She laughed, "_You?  _Humming?"

"I don't see the humor."

She looked at him, spotless Armani suit (at least she guessed it to be Armani, but it could have been anything), perfectly straightened tie, and an earpiece.  Not a thing was out of place.  "You kinda give off a… threatening impression.  The idea of the infamous Agent Smith humming anything, let alone ABBA is kinda funny."

"That sounds fairly stereotypical." He replied.

"You're right.  I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Being all judgmental."

"Nice to know I won't receive odd glances whenever I choose to hum."

"Not from me.  But maybe your coworkers would find it a little out of character."

Smith laughed.  "That's what I was laughing at before.  If Brown and Jones found me humming to myself I think they'd most likely breakdown."

"Does that mean you're not gonna hum anymore?"

"Of course not.  But not around the Agency."

"Why do you care what your coworkers think?" She asked with a smile.

She was reiterating the advice he had given her.  "What I mean," He said, "is that I will continue to hum whenever I wish, but I will not go out of my way to make a spectacle of myself."

"Are you gonna hum for me?"

He offered a perplexed glance, "Why?"

"Well I did sing for you, three times last night.  I mean, the least you can do is hum a little for me."

"Perhaps later."

"Ooh I got a 'maybe'!

Smith shook his head, hiding the smile forming on his lips.

They had decided on an interesting looking couch.  It was sort of modern, but not so modern that one could not figure out how to sit on it.  It fit the empty space perfectly and acted as a nice accent to her "new" living room.  It was somewhere around five thirty that Smith was contacted by the mainframe.  He was told that it was urgent and could not be rescheduled.  Smith bid a prolonged farewell and headed for the Agency.  He did not like leaving so early.  He parked the car and replaced his sunglasses as he headed up to floor 42.  He found Agent Brown and Jones sitting in thick silence.  There was a very nervous air about the room and Smith did not like what was going on.  Lightning flashed across the sky as rain began to pour like some celestial damn had suddenly exploded.  Smith took a seat, erasing any trace of uncertainty from his face.  Unfortunately, this only served to increase the uneasiness he felt.

Brown coughed as customary when breaking the silence.  "The mainframe has become increasingly concerned with your behavior, Agent Smith."

He was jolted.  "Excuse me?"

"Its noticed changes in your behavioral patterns… and so have we." He explained, gesturing toward Jones who looked like he was cowering defensively.

"Because of these changes and the lack of substance behind the probability of the scenario, the mainframe releases you from your present duty.  In other words, you are no longer assigned to Miss Turner."

"What if this is what the Resistance is waiting for?  What if they are anticipating this move?"

"Then," said Agent Brown, "we will deal with the consequences."

"What possible use can she be to us if she is dead?!" Smith asked, defending his position.

"The mainframe has already considered this and decided that her termination would be indifferent to the system's stability."

Smith was furious.  He gritted his teeth, trying to form a response.

"I am curious as to why you are not elated, Agent Smith." Brown said.

"I believe he realizes the foolishness of the mainframe's actions." Jones piped.

Both heads changed their focus.

"I… I too am in agreement with Agent Smith and his desire to continue contact with Miss Turner.  She is obviously of some value if Smith believes that there is reason for further pursuing the scenario."

"The primary concern of the mainframe is the behavior of Agent Smith."

"What concerns have they about my behavior?"

"They fear that you will begin to assimilate."

"Impossible!" Both Jones and Smith cried in unison.

"While I concur with your consensus, I fear the mainframe does not.  I will send this information immediately." Brown said, standing and preparing to leave.  "I do believe that this meeting has concluded."

Smith was so furious that the only thing he wanted to see was everything smashed to pieces.  He wanted to scream.  He wanted to tear the entire goddamn building down… but decided against it, as the Agency might suspect something was wrong.  Instead he found himself in his car, driving.  He didn't know where.  The streets were empty with the exception of one speeding car.  By the time he was done, he had broken thirty speed limit laws, twenty one counts of reckless driving, sixteen instances of reckless endangerment, plowed through eighteen stop signs, and miraculously had hit nothing.  That pissed him off the most.  When the car stopped, he found himself ironically in the parking lot of the cause of his misery.  He sat miserably in the driver's seat for probably a half hour, but time wasn't particularly a concern.  He opened the door and stepped out into the rain and became instantly soaked.  He stood static for five minutes before he approached the building's door.  He stared through the clear glass, blurred by the rain.  He couldn't go inside.  Not like this.  Not now.  Instead he sat himself on the soaking curbside and stared into the torrential downpour.  The water had begun to collect and form a little stream that flowed straight into the damn he'd created with his shoes.  He didn't move.  He didn't care.

She had seen him pull into the parking lot and instantly she knew something was wrong.  The fact that he stood in the rain for roughly five minutes didn't ease her disturbance in the least.  It had been a considerable amount of time she had been staring out her window.  She did not see him, but she did see his car.  It was still parked and showed no signs of remaining otherwise.  She sighed, releasing anxiety and stepped out of her apartment and into the elevator.

Once she came to the lobby level, she noticed a soaking black blur positioned on the curbside.  As she carefully drew closer from the safe distance of inside the building, she was terrified and relieved that it was Agent Smith.  She opened the door without a sound and stepped into the rain.  He did not acknowledge her presence, and she assumed that he had not heard her.  He looked a mixture of enraged, desperate, and confused.  He almost seemed to be hurting.  Jade sat herself beside him and snaked her right arm inside his left one and interlaced their fingers.

This produced a response from the motionless man seated on the soaking pavement.  He lifted his head and looked at their hands in confusion.  He then looked at her, and then back at their hands.  She squeezed gently, letting him know she was there.  The anger disappeared from his face and all that was left was confusion and desperation.  

They sat like that, holding each other's hand in silence for what could have been hours.  The rain poured and poured, as it would never let up.  It was cold, but neither of the two seemed to acknowledge it.  Finally, one of them spoke.

"I… I am sorry." He said into the rain.

"Don't be sorry." She replied in a soothing tone.  After a pause, "What happened?"

He sighed, still avoiding eye contact, staring at the street.

"You don't have to tell me." She said.

"No… I- it's…" He sighed, struggling to put the words together.

She squeezed on his hand again, offering assurance.  He squeezed back and saw understanding in her eyes.

"I have been…reassigned." He managed.

"I'm not your job anymore?" She asked.

He shook his head.

"Well good," She said, tightening her hold on his hand.  "Now I'm your friend."

He looked at her, startled a bit.  "Are you?"

She smiled.  "You think I'd sit for hours in the pouring rain with someone I didn't care about?"

He couldn't help but smile.  "Thank you."

"Would you like to come in?" She asked.  

He nodded.

They stood, Jade still keeping a firm grip on his hand.  Smith appreciated this action very much.  It was so simple, yet it offered all the reassurance he needed.  The building felt cold, and Jade began to shiver before they reached the elevator.  Unconsciously, her grip became tighter and she leaned into the Agent for warmth.  She became aware of this once they reached her floor.  She laughed nervously and stepped away.  He felt her grip slack and gently squeezed to let her know that he was not yet ready to let go.  She seemed to understand this.  They reached her door, which she had left unlocked and stepped inside.

"Wait here," She said, "I'll get you a towel."

He did as she asked until she returned from the bathroom with a towel for him and another for herself.  Smith really didn't have a use for it, after all he could manipulate the code so that his clothes would be dry in an instant, but did not have the desire to do so.  He dried the back of his neck and found that he liked the feel of terrycloth very much.

Jade's wet clothes clung to her body.  She silently thanked God that she had not changed into something more comfortable after work.  Fortunately, this embarrassment was avoided and all that was visible beneath her shirt was the outline of her undergarment.  Smith watched her dry the leg exposed by the slit in her skirt.  He caught himself before he pursued his train of thought any further.  He could not, however, divert his attention from the shape of her body.  He had never really taken much note of her figure, but it seemed he could not help but notice.  She was… nicely proportioned.  She was soaking wet, her hair was a tangled mess and her makeup had smeared slightly.  She looked almost, but not quite totally unlike women in the movies.  He found that he didn't mind it.  She threw the towel to the floor and sighed.

"Give me two seconds," She said, "I just need to change.  Do you need anything?  I don't really have anything that would suit you, no real use for men's clothing, you know?  I have a BahamaMamma t-shirt, but uh, I _really don't think you'd want that."_

He almost laughed.  "I will take care of myself."

"Okay.  I'll be right back." She said, before disappearing into her bedroom.

She emerged some fifteen minutes later in pink sweatpants and a black tank top with her hair in a ponytail.  She noticed that Smith was completely dry.  She collapsed on the couch and invited him to join her.  

"I think we made a very good choice.  Much better than the old one."

She was talking about the couch.  "Yes.  It fits nicely."

She paused.  She didn't like the distraction in his voice.  She silently cursed herself for taking so long….  She should've just thrown something on, not searched for something decent-looking.  

He sat hunched forward, hands folded on his knees.  He couldn't shake whatever had descended over him.  He looked at his hands and noticed that Jade's had found its way between them.  She was again holding his hand in the same manner she had before.  And for some bizarre, unknown reason, he found comfort in it.  He felt her sigh as she relaxed her body against his, nuzzling gently into his arm.  Why did this help?  She saw a look of confusion twist his features and she responded by lightly rubbing her thumb against his in a comforting stroke.  He offered a confused glance at their hands, then at her and relaxed.  He felt his body sink into the plush couch, which he had to admit, was rather comfortable.  He placed his free hand over hers and locked their thumbs.  This action caused a slight smile on both parties.  She rested her other hand on his without a motive, but neither seemed to need one.  The only noise came from the pounding rain hammering on the windows of her apartment.  Jade had never liked silence and unconsciously began to hum softly.  She wasn't aware of this and neither was Smith's conscious mind.  All he knew was that he was beginning to feel better.  What happened next was completely unexpected and unprecedented, and surprisingly went unnoticed for a few moments.  Agent Smith had begun to hum.  At first almost inaudibly, following the pattern Jade had established.  The sound grew louder until they achieved a sort-of harmony.

Smith stopped when he no longer heard Jade's voice.  He looked at her, puzzled for a moment.  She was ginning madly.  "What?"

"You were humming." She said.

"And…?" He asked.

"It was nice." She replied.  Which it was.

"…Thank you." He said.

"What, no one's complimented your humming skills before?"

He smiled.

"I'm on a roll tonight!  I got you to hum _and_ smile!  That's like what, seven trillion five billion twenty three million four hundred six thousand forty two to one?"

"And falling." He added with a grin.

She smiled in reply.

"I want to thank you for everything." He said with the trace of a smile still lingering on his face.

"You're very welcome." She replied.

Smith glanced over her shoulder and saw the clock.  It was two thirty in the morning.  And he didn't feel much like leaving.

"You don't have to go." She said.

He offered a glance and then sunk comfortably back into the couch.  "I will not stay much longer." He replied on two accounts.  One, the Agency would be suspicious and two, he did not want to overstay his welcome.

"Okay.  Just remember that nobody's rushing you out the door."

Neither said anything for a long time.  Smith could not pinpoint exactly what the name for this feeling was.  His previous set of emotions had been replaced, but he could not articulate with what.  Something between calmness and consolation… comfort, perhaps?  He was comforted.  Normally, his logical programming would kick in and tear these thoughts to pieces, but at least for tonight, he willed these impulses away.  He did not care, really, what logic had to say right now.  He didn't want to analyze the moment or make something of it; he simply wanted it to be.

And it was.

"Better?" She asked.

"Much."

"Good."  She narrowed her eyes at her companion who appeared to be reluctant to say something, "What?"

"I am not sure of exactly how to phrase this accurately…" He began, "but, I want you to be careful."

"I am. I'll be fine." She replied.

He didn't look convinced.

She sighed, "If you want to, you can pick me up from work in the afternoon."

"I am no longer responsible for your protection."

"Are you my friend?"

He looked confused.

"Are you?" She asked again.

"…I suppose."

"You can't _suppose_.  It's either I am or I'm not."

"You are." He conceded.

"Then there's no reason that the Agency or anyone else can tell you otherwise."

"I shall pick you up after work then." He replied.

"Good.  I'll look forward to it." She smiled.

He turned to leave, then paused and faced her again.  He reached into his jacket and took out his gun.  "Take it."

"Are you kidding?  I've never shot a gun in my entire existence!  I can't aim to save my life… or anyone else's."

"Please, I'll feel better knowing that you have it."

"…Okay."  She said, taking it from his outstretched hand.

He let out the breath he was unaware he had been holding as she took the firearm from him.  "Just keep it with you."

"Where?" She asked.

"It doesn't matter." He replied.

She looked completely and utterly perplexed.

What Smith was trying to explain to her was the theory behind weapons.  If someone sees that you have a monstrous-looking weapon they will most likely run, cower in fear or surrender on the spot.  Whether the weapon is defective or nonfunctioning whatsoever has no bearing on the outcome.  As long as the person wielding the weapon pretends that it works, the opposing party will also believe this.

"Oh!  I get it," She said, her face aglow with revelation, "It's for show."

That would suffice.  "Yes."

She yawned.

"I will see you later this afternoon."

"Goodnight- er, good morning, Smith."


	12. Disruption

  
A/N: Don't make me beg for reviews... ok, i'll beg! Just please, review this thing! Even a one-word comment (preferably a nice one) would suffice! *begs with puppy eyes*

  
  
**Answers**

  


By Jaded Starlight

  
  
**

Chapter Eleven:

**  
**

Disruption

**  


She'd managed a few hours of sleep after Smith had left.  It wasn't much, but she wasn't yet feeling the effects so it really didn't matter.  At least it had finally stopped raining.  Jade was grateful to see the sun after last night's downpour.  Still, something was strange.  She didn't know what it was, but had the feeling nonetheless.  She was probably just worried.  What she was worried about eluded her at the moment, but she concluded that it was better to have loosely justified than blind paranoia.  It was the small, strange glances she'd been getting from all directions since she'd first stepped foot into the office.  It wasn't contemptuous or prying, but confused and scared.  It wasn't directly obvious, but from the corner of their eyes and in the small glances that almost went unnoticed she saw an expression that words could not articulate correctly.  Maybe it was because she had left with a "government" employee.  Agent Smith was not exactly famous for his good first impressions.  Hell, she'd thought he was going to kill her for a good twenty minutes before she realized that wasn't his motive.  He'd probably scared them to death just by being there.  Something told her that wasn't it, but she ignored it.

Then, she noticed that the little red light on her phone was blinking.

She picked it up, "Hello, Mr. Westburg's office, Jade Turner speaking."

"Glad I got to you before you left." Said a voice she didn't recognize in a tone that made her pulse quicken.

"Excuse me?" She asked, hiding the fear from her voice.

"I came to see you yesterday, but you had just slipped out."

"What are you talking about?" She asked.

"Hey, why don't you use your name anymore?"

He blood ran cold and her heart leapt in her throat.  "What name?"

"Your _real_ name."

Oh God.  

"You know what name I'm talking about."

"A name is just a noun." She said.

"Yes, of course.  But what's really important about a noun is that it _defines something.  Doesn't it, _Jade_?" He replied with contemptuous emphasis on her name.  "What you define is a lie.  It's what you live."_

"I'd rather be a slave to a machine than to my own kind." She spat.

"Hostile, aren't we?"

Jade slammed the phone into its cradle.  She held her head in her hands and let out a long sigh.  It didn't help.

"You okay, Jade?" Mr. Westburg asked.  His voice sounded very far away.

"I'll be fine." She replied.

"You know, um… somebody was here yesterday, they uh… they said they wanted to talk with you but, well, erm… they didn't seem like your kind of company…"

She detected blatant uneasiness in his voice.  "Who?" she managed.

The man scratched his neck nervously.  "Didn't give a name.  He, well, he uh… dressed funny."

"Like what?"

"A lot of black… dark colors, navy blue tie… wore his sunglasses inside, Maria said he had a gun.  Everyone's been kinda shaken up about it…."

"I don't know anything about him." She replied.

He nodded.  "Okay, well, just keep out of trouble." He said, leaving.

Her mind was completely numb.  She grabbed her purse and slowly made her way outside for some air.  The hallway felt long and distorted and she stumbled a few times.  Her mind couldn't handle the shock the phone call had delivered.  She would've collapsed on the concrete if she hadn't caught sight of a man in a trench coat and a navy blue tie headed straight for her.  She slipped her hand into her purse and took a firm hold on Smith's gun. 

"Came out for some non-existent air?" He asked.

"Very funny." Jade replied, tightening her grasp discretely.

"I am going to make this… as easy as possible." He said.  "You can come with me, unplug and save your kind.  Or, you can choose not to and die."

"What, I get a choice this time?" She replied.

"Don't make yourself a martyr." He snorted.

"You already know what I'm gonna say."

"I'm not the Oracle." He replied tauntingly.

"Take that red pill, and shove it up your ass." She replied.

"I'm gonna hate to do this." He said, faking regret.

"Me too." She replied, firing the gun through the bottom of her bag releasing three bullets that collided with the stomach of her attacker.  He looked shocked as she staggered backward and collapsed on the street, dead.  She took the gun from her bag and threw what was left of the purse on the ground.  She heard the sound of running feet and thought, "Oh God," as two more Rebels rounded the corner of her office building and came into view.  In a purely human fashion, Jade ran.

The car came to a screeching halt as the three Agents pressed on their earpieces.

"They're moving." Said Smith as they stepped out of the car and ran toward the position of the Rebels.

She jumped an incredibly high fence and continued on as soon as she felt ground beneath her feet.  She had no idea where she was or where she was going, much less did she care.  They were still following her.  She noticed that she was headed for what was probably a marina, so she decided to run left and into what she thought was a shipping warehouse.  Stairs.  She found a flight of stairs and darted up them.  She found a small space between stacked wooden crates and decided it was the best hiding place she would find.  She heard feet storming into the warehouse and felt her heart in her throat.  She tried to silence her breathing.  They were walking now.  She couldn't see from her spot, but two sets of feet were creaking in two different directions.  Up the stairs, on her level she could hear them creaking closer.  She quieted her body and strained her ears.

Gunshots shattered the silence and tore through the boxes she had used to hide behind.  She dropped to the floor of the small opening and covered her head.  Terror seized her as one of them kicked her shield away, exposing her.  Jade pointed Smith's gun at the Rebel, her hands shaking furiously much like the rest of her body.  She looked at him fiercely, hate in her eyes.  She refused to admit she was terrified.  They remained static for a moment, guns aimed at each other. 

Jade noticed a series of crates, stacked and positioned to her advantage.  If she could dive behind them, she might have a chance.  Quickly, she leaned her body in the opposite direction which caused the Rebel to shoot.  She recoiled immediately and in a somersault, she dove behind the strategically aligned crates and shot.  Once the Rebel on her floor had ceased to fire, the one on the ground floor returned her shots until she had none to offer.  She ran, which proved to be a costly mistake.  The second Rebel was positioned on the stairway and making his way up.  The first stalked toward her, catching her between them both.  They lunged for her simultaneously as she leapt in a straddle and evaded their attack.  They crashed into each other, Jade landing on her feet on top of them.  She began to run down the stairs when one of them grabbed her foot and she fell forward.  He twisted her leg in an unnatural position and she cried out in pain as she twisted her body in order to ease the joint.  He threw her up the stairs and onto the top floor.  She stood staggered backward and regained equilibrium.  One threw a punch at her, which she blocked.  She returned the gesture and kicked his stomach, sending him flying backward.  The second Rebel lunged at her.  She threw a punch but he caught her fist and used his weight to throw her down the staircase.  Her head pounded and she had a nasty gash across half her forehead, in addition to what would be some ugly bruises.  She picked herself up and struggled to her feet.  Her hip screamed in protest of her actions, however it went ignored, at least for the time being.

"Are you kidding?" One of them laughed, walking toward her.  "She's up for more."

"Coppertops…" The other shook his head in a sarcastic 'tisk-tisk' voice.

Jade clenched her teeth as they drew their fists back and punched at her.  She dropped to the floor in a split, seconds before contact and they ended up colliding with each other.  Her skirt had ripped in the process, a slit up to her thigh.  Satisfied, she brought one under her and swept in a circular motion with her outstretched leg, tripping both men to the floor.  She jumped to her unsteady feet and engaged in a fist fight with the one who'd gotten up.  They seemed evenly matched, countering each other blow for blow.  This continued until he brought his foot to her stomach and she flew across the room.

Just then the doors of the warehouse burst open and in the threshold stood three suit-clad men, wielding identical weapons.  Shots rang out and the two Rebels had at least three more holes in their bodies.

"She is here." Brown began,

"The human." Jones said.

"How do we proceed?" Brown asked.

Smith stepped forward, removing his sunglasses.  "I'll handle this.  Report back to the mainframe." He ordered.

The two Agents exchanged glances and nodded at the third before disappearing out the door.  Smith cautiously approached Jade, who was still lying sprawled across the floor on her stomach.

"Are you all right?" He asked.  Stupid question.

"It hurts…" She managed in a broken tone.  

Smith's eyes widened at her voice.  He reached out slowly and brushed her hair out of her face.  He was startled.  She was crying.  Her eyes were filled with water and it was streaming down her dirty, beaten face.  Smith was confused, horrified and angry.  Not angry at her, at what had happened to her.  He did not know how to deal with this.  He was so frustrated with himself, the agency, the Resistance….  He should've been there to stop them.  She was still lying there, crying and helpless.  He hated this.  She was supposed to get up!  She was supposed to be strong and make some witty comment about her skirt!  She wasn't supposed to be hurt and broken and make him feel useless!  She sniffled and shivered pathetically as another tear fell down her face.  It would've broken his heart, had he been human.  So, he did the only thing he knew.  He took hold of her weak, dirty hand.

"Thank you…" She sighed, closing her eyes and stopping the tears.

"You are welcome." He offered awkwardly.

She slowly sat up and he became aware of the gash on the other side of her head.  She'd taken a beating all right.  There was no doubt that the rebels had been after her, but why?  He wondered if they themselves even knew.

"I want to go home."  She said.

He nodded dumbly and helped her to her feet.  She insisted on walking out to the car by herself, but he did help her into the passenger seat.  She limped pathetically; cringing every time she placed pressure on her injured leg.  He hated watching her struggle.  It was such a simple task, walking not even a hundred feet and she could barely manage it.  Once he was certain that she was settled in the car, he hut her door and quickly came around to the driver's side.  He put the key in the ignition, but did not turn it.  He sat back in his seat a moment and silence passed between them.

"Is anything broken?" He asked.

"I don't think so." She replied.

He turned the key and took her hand.

"Aren't you gonna need that?" She asked.

"Not as much as you do." He said honestly.

She squeezed his hand weakly.  "Thank you."


	13. Noodles

  
A/N: Be nice, leave a comment!!

  
  
**Answers**

  


By Jaded Starlight

  
  
**

Chapter Twelve:

**  
**

Noodles

**  


He decided to stop by her apartment early the next morning.  She had seemed hell bent on doing things herself, so he had only seen her home after yesterday's fiasco.  He had waited in his car for a good twenty minutes before he was contacted by the mainframe and issued a command.  He did not feel comfortable leaving her alone.  

She was not awake when he got there, but he found that she had forgotten to lock her door.  He debated whether or not to go inside without authorization.  In the end, he decided to go ahead with it and tell her something about burglary if she was offended.  He saw that everything was in order and sat himself down on her sofa.  She would be awake soon enough.  In the meantime, he would find something to entertain himself with.  

Come ten thirty, he started to worry and went to check on her.  He carefully opened the bedroom door and found her asleep and well.  She was probably sleeping off the shock and exhaustion.  She was pretty bruised up, on the right side of her face especially.  He was not accustomed to seeing her like this.  It felt wrong.  He wished there was something he could do to help her.   

She had a calm air about her, but there was something in that calmness he did not particularly like.  It wasn't a reassuring kind of calm; instead it was an anxious, desperate calm.  For a long time he could not seem to tear his eyes from the bruises on her face.  It wasn't that they made her repulsive or unattractive… it made her look fragile.  Broken.  Used.  He did not want to see her that way.  It confused him.  Made him angry.  It was… something that came with the responsibility of protecting her.  Compassion, perhaps.  In that moment when his eyes and mind were focused on solely the battered sleeping woman, that sort of protective compassion stirred within him.  It did not crescendo and then bottom out; instead the emotion swelled to an extraordinary level, and then receded a bit and never quite left.  In that fraction of a second, he made a choice.  He was not even conscious of it at the time, but he would later remember this exact moment and understand in perfect clarity the choice he made.  

He sighed and shut her door quietly.  It was best not to disturb her, he thought.  She needed to rest and the best thing to do was to leave her be.  He found himself on the sofa again, sitting idly.  It was during that period of time that Agent Smith discovered something that utterly revolted him.

Television.

Seconds before he was about ready to put a bullet in the appliance, he remembered that it had an off button, so he fired that instead.  However, he discovered that TV was not the only thing that annoyed him.  He realized something else he couldn't tolerate.

Waiting.

He hated waiting.  The idleness of boredom in which he sat irritated him.  He needed to be occupied.  He glanced at the clock.  It was past noon, and Jade was still not awake.  He decided to check on her again, just to be sure.  He stood with a purpose and made his way across the room and opened the door as quietly as he could and closed it behind him.  She was still asleep and didn't show any signs of changing. He sighed and sat in a chair positioned close to her bed.  He observed that she was lying in what was called the fetal position.  She still looked fragile.  He impulsively reached out and carefully tucked her wild dark hair behind her ear.  He ran his fingers lightly across the healing gash on her forehead.  It was still not completely healed and it looked as if it would scar.  He drew his hand back and placed it over hers.  He felt her warm fingers curl around his hand in sleep.  

He suddenly didn't mind waiting.

Green eyes slowly opened and blinked a few times.  She wasn't sure if she was awake or not at the moment.  She analyzed her surroundings.  Agent Smith was sitting on the chair next to her bed.  It was another dream.  

"Good morning." He said.

She narrowed her sleepy eyes in confusion.

"Well, I should probably say 'good afternoon' because it is no longer morning."

"Smith?" She asked.

"Yes?"

"What's going on?"

"I came by this morning to see you, but your door was unlocked and it is not like you to leave your door like that.  I decided to check that everything was in order."

Perfectly logical.  "Thanks." She said.  "When did you get here?"

"Around eight."

She glanced at the clock on her nightstand.  One forty five.  "You stayed?"

"I wanted to be certain that you were all right."

She nodded.

"Would you like me to bring you something?" He asked.

"No, no. I'll be fine." She insisted, sitting up.  She realized immediately that had not been a good idea and winced sharply as she clutched her leg in pain.

"What happened?" He asked.

She could have sworn that she saw concern in his eyes.  "My leg… one of them twisted it.  I guess it's still sore."

Smith mentally switched his perception and now saw the room in cascading green code.  It was especially enflamed at her hip and the code read that it was a painful injury.  "If you'll allow me to do so, I would like to heal it for you."

"I'll be fine." She said.

"The type of injury you have sustained will not ease itself for another few days and heal incorrectly, if at all."

"I said I'll be fine." She replied.

"Do you even understand what's happened to you?" He asked, slightly annoyed.

"My leg got twisted.  It's no big deal."

"Your leg was dislocated, Jade.  You tore some tendons and strained the muscle."

"I can deal with it myself." She said defiantly.

He could _see_ the pain.  How she did she plan on dealing with it?  "I'd like to know how."

"Who do you think you are, my father?!" She snapped.

"Your friend!" He retorted on impulse.  "I just want to help you!"  He was just as shocked to hear his words as she was.

She was stunned to silence.  She had never expected to hear those words from his mouth.  "…You're right." She said finally.

"If you'd rather not, I will not take offense."

She shook her head.  "I don't know what I was thinking.  I can't get out of bed.  I can't move… I can barely sit still."

"Are you certain?"

She sighed.  "Yes, I am.  Now fix me." She said, tossing the covers to the side.

Smith nodded and brought his free hand to her injured hip.  Her code was repaired in less than a blink.  In place of the pain was soothing warmth, a side effect of the energy needed to mend the broken line of code.

After a moment of déjà vu she carefully adjusted her leg, and sat Indian style.  It was almost as if she had imagined the pain to begin with… which was not all that far from the truth.  "Thank you."

"You are welcome." He said, "Anything else?"

She shook her head and felt it spin at the sudden movement.  "On second thought, some Advil would be nice."

He gave her a small smile and squeezed her hand before letting it go as he left the room.  Her head spun again, but not painfully so.  If asked to describe the sensation, she could not find the words.  It was some combination of shock and elation.  She hadn't realized that he'd been holding her hand, but she was happy that he did.  It was… nice to have somebody care about her.  He returned with a glass of water and two Advil.  She thanked him and took the medicine.

"How are you?" He asked.

"Nothing that won't heal." She replied.

He nodded.  "How are you really?"

"…I'll be okay." She replied, "But I don't think I'll be able to wear that skirt again."

He smiled thankfully.  "Perhaps not."

She glanced at the clock.  "Wanna get some food?" She asked.

"What would you like?"

She thought a moment.  "Let's get Chinese.  They deliver."

"Whatever you would like." He replied.

"Chinese it is." She said, "Hand me the phone, would you?"

Smith grabbed the cordless from her dresser and handed it to her.

"Thanks." She said, pressing number two on the speed dial.

Smith shook his head with a trace of a smile.  "You have the Chinese restaurant on speed dial…"

"What's wrong with that?" She asked, "Er- yes, I'd like to place an order for delivery…"

Smith laughed to himself.  For some reason, this amused him.  He had no idea why, but it did.

She clicked the phone off.  "What's so funny?"

"I do not know of anyone who keeps a restaurant on their speed dial."

"Do you know anyone who has speed dial?" She asked.

"No."

"That's not as very fair judgment then, is it?"

"What else do you have on speed dial?" He asked.

"Does it amuse you that much?"

"Just curious."

"You know what they say: curiosity killed the cat."

"And, if I am not mistaken, satisfaction brought him back."

"Touché."

Smith grinned in satisfaction.  He was glad to see her behaving like herself again.

She sighed and shook her head, "I'm sorry for being such an ass before."

He looked at her questioningly.

"For not letting you help me with my leg."

"It is perfectly understandable." He replied, though it wasn't.

"I'm not used to people helping me, you know?  Humans aren't all that reliable."

He shook his head in agreement.

"I'm so used to being able to fix myself I kinda freak out when I can't.  Makes me feel…" She trailed off, looking for the right word to use.

"Powerless?"

She nodded.  "That's it.  Especially after getting the crap kicked out of me I just… I didn't want to be weak."

"Perhaps it takes more strength to ask for assistance than it does to go without it."

"In theory."

"What do you mean?"

She sighed.  "You just want so much to pride yourself on _something_.  You want to be able to say, 'well, yeah shit happens but hey, I got myself through it'."

"Invoking assistance does not denote weakness."

"When you've got nothing left, it does."

He screwed his face in confusion.  "I do not understand."

She just looked at him.  "Look at this," She said, fingering the gash on her forehead. "And this," meaning the bruise on her face.  "You saw my leg.  I could barely move.  I was completely useless."

"That's not true."

"Smith, I couldn't sit up.  I think that pretty much says it all."

"You were simply coping."

"With completely losing any sense of pride."

"Why do you say that?" He asked.

"Look at what they did, okay?  Just look at me.  Now you tell me why."

He did as she instructed.  Yes, it was obvious that a struggle had taken place.  Her physical condition was less than perfect.  "I still do not understand."

She sighed in frustration.

"I see that you have undoubtedly sustained some physical injury, but I cannot see why you have lost your sense of pride."

"Why?" She asked exasperatedly.

"You are still alive."

"…So…"

"They are dead."

Her expression changed.  "What do you mean?"

"You fought three Rebels by yourself.  By all accounts, you should be dead." He explained.  "But you're not.  I do not see why that would cause you to think less of yourself."

There was a knock at the door.  Probably the food.  Jade was too absorbed to notice.

"I'll get it." He said, leaving her with her thoughts for a moment.

She considered his point of view.  She had since seen herself as incompetent and… well, weak.  He had seen her in a completely opposite light.  Did he really believe it?  She was worried that his image of her had changed… and it had, but in a positive way.  She did not anticipate this.  She had never thought of her situation like that.  Yeah, she had taken a beating, but she was still alive.  They were dead and she wasn't.  She sighed, releasing anxiety as she stood up and walked into the kitchen where Smith was sorting through the massive amount of food she had ordered.

"No need for plates.  Just grab a fork and dig in."  She said, opening a drawer filled with silverware and taking two forks, handing one to him as she grabbed the box of fried rice and sat down at the kitchen table.  He joined her and poked at the compacted noodles in the white box.  She was awfully quiet… he didn't enjoy the silence between them.  It was heavy and anxious.

"You're quiet." He said, breaking the god-awful silence.

She poked absentmindedly at the rice.  "This is gonna sound pretty stupid."

"What?" He asked.

"… no, forget it. It's a stupid question."

"How will you know that if you do not ask it?"

Her lips curled in a small smile.  "What… what do you think of me?"

He was unsure what she meant.  His expression conveyed this.

"Like what's your opinion?"

"What do I think of your personality?"

"Of me as a person?"

He understood.  "I think…" He had to be careful of how he phrased his reply.  "I think that you are the only human I have ever been able to tolerate, let alone befriend.  I think you are very intelligent and do not credit yourself nearly as much as you deserve.  You have a knack for finding trouble, but you somehow manage to take care of yourself thus you are extremely capable.  And kind."

"You mean that?"

"What do you think I am, human?" He asked with a hint of a smile.

"That's my species you're laughing at." She reminded.

"I'm sorry." He replied mockingly.

"Yeah, well me too."  She replied, taking a bite of her rice.  "No hogging the noodles." She said, reaching into his box with her fork.

He drew the box out of her reach.  "What if I don't want to share?" He asked playfully serious.

"You did not just do that."

He took a forkful of noodles and put them in his mouth.  "I think I did."

She shook her head, trying to suppress the huge grin on her face.  "Give me the noodles."

"Make me."

"You're asking for it…"

"Asking for what?"

She furrowed her eyebrows, unable to erase the smile from her face.

"Oh yeah.  That's what I thought."

She stood up and walked over toward the cardboard box, which he immediately moved out of her reach.  This continued until Jade gave up.  "Would you just give me the box?!"

"Now where's the fun in that?"

"I get to eat them."

"What about me?"

"You get to watch me eat them."

"Somehow, I think this is much more enjoyable."

"Do you want me to beg or something?!"

"Now there's an idea."

She lapped her forehead.  "I am not going to beg you for the box of noodles."

He downed another forkful.  "Really?"

"This is ridiculous!"

"But oh so entertaining."

"You evil noodle-hogging sadist!"

He laughed, holding the box tauntingly.

"That's it." She said, and then proceeded to chase him around the apartment until she was out of breath.

He still had the noodles.

"Please?" She asked.

He set the box down in front of her.  "Okay."

"What was that?" She asked in disbelief.

"You said 'please'."

"You are so evil." She said, digging into the box of noodles.

"I know." He replied.

"I'll get you back for that."

"No you won't."

"Don't be too sure, buddy."

"And why not?"

 "You just wait.  And when you least expect it- I'm stealing the noodles."

"I quiver in fear."

"You better."

"He nodded.  "Uh huh.  Yeah.  Okay."

"Noodle Nazi." She muttered loud enough for him to hear.

He laughed.

"I win!" She said.

"Win what?"

"I don't know."

He shook his head. "How can you win, then?"

"I don't know."

"So did that statement have any relevance at all?"

"Not really."

"Good to know."

He felt the familiar click of the mainframe and instantly received a transmission from the Agency.  He pressed on his earpiece, and Jade knew what to expect.  He looked at her, serious this time.

"The mainframe?" She asked.

He nodded.  "They caught one… I am going to interrogate.  I shall return when it concludes.  I should not be long."

"Okay.  I'll leave the first, third and fourth unlocked.  Just unlock the other three if I'm not awake."  She replied.

He nodded and reluctantly set off.  He didn't want to.  She seemed much better now than she had earlier.  He knew that she was competent enough to take care of herself… I just felt wrong to desert her at such a time.  Well, he wasn't deserting her per se, he was actually helping.  This one would talk, he decided, whether he wanted to or not.  If it meant a week of morphine or codeine shots and ultimately hacking into their mind, he would see that it was done.  They needed answers.

Once he reached the specified room, the familiar sight of his two colleagues and another, bloody braking human male hooked up to the familiar machine via sticky pads and wires presented itself.  Smith took his colleagues aside.

"Has he leaked yet?"

"No.  He has only managed a few obscenities, which Agent Brown took care of." Jones explained.

Brown could not help but offer a sadistic smile.

"Have you used electricity?"

"Yes.  Several times.  Still nothing." Brown explained.

"All right." Smith said, "Bring me a shot of codeine."

Four eyes bulged.

"Are you serious?"

"That will only serve to numb the pain." Jones reminded.

"I know very well what it will do, Agent Jones." Smith replied with no small hint of distain.  "It will also slow his cognitive abilities and ease him into trusting us."

Two Agents exchanged glances.  Never before had they considered this tactic.  They nodded at their superior and Jones set out to fulfill Smith's demands.

Agent Smith sighed as he approached the trembling rebel.  "You'll have to forgive my tardiness," He explained, "I have been a bit preoccupied."

He managed to open on swollen eye and raise his shaking head two inches from his neck.  He looked as if he were having a seizure, only all three Agents knew otherwise.  With all his will, the man spat toward the Agent, only managing to cough up a crimson-tinted glob that landed on his own lap.

"I suppose I ought to teach you a lesson for that, Mr. Kelley." He replied, "But however, I will delay my entertainment and postpone your execution."

Mr. Kelley seemed shocked, or would have if he had not been shaking so terribly.

Jones arrived, syringe in hand.

Smith nodded.  "Good.  Mr. Kelley, I believe you have already met Agent Jones.  He's going to give you a little something to make the pain a bit more bearable."

The rebel squirmed and tried desperately to escape the needle.

"He's just going to give you some codeine.  I suggest you cooperate."

The rebel did as was told and Jones injected the drug.

Smith took a seat and removed his sunglasses.  "Well, Mr. Kelley, would you care to enlighten me as to your purpose in the Matrix?"

He said nothing.

"I can bring the pain back just as quickly as I made it go away, you know." He said, pointing to Brown, who was ready and waiting at the machine to which Mr. Kelley was hooked up.

"I was sent here…" He said through clenched teeth.

"Now we're getting somewhere." He said, nodding for Mr. Kelley to continue.

"I was summoned by the Council… they told me… they told me to find someone…"

The codeine had definitely taken effect.  He was slow and tired in his reply.  Smith needs answers quickly.  "And who did they tell you to find?"

"A… Aurora."

Smith's eyes widened.  He'd heard that name before.  It was what one of them had called Jade.  He remembered asking her about this and how defensive she had become. Yes, there was definitely a connection between them.  Jade was Aurora.  Aurora was Jade.

"They said… they said I had to… to… to…"

"To what?!" Smith asked, a bit irritated with the man's slowness.

"Unplug her."

"Right, okay.  Unplug her or kill her I'm assuming."

Mr. Kelley struggled to nod.

"Did anyone else accompany you?"

"No.  They said no one could know… not even my operator."

"Did they say why?"

"No."

"Don't you think it's a little strange to be assigned such an ambiguous mission?"

At this point, Kelley slipped into unconsciousness.

He'd knocked twice and she had not answered, so he decided to try the locks.  He turned the first, second and fourth locks and he opened the door.  The television was on and she was lying on the couch, her body curled against one of the throw pillows they had bought.  It wasn't terribly late, but still her body needed recovery time.  At least she had tried to wait up for him.  He turned off the appliance and walked into her kitchen, which was still a mess from the afternoon's lunch and noodle escapade.  He smiled to himself as he closed the little white boxes of food and put them in her refrigerator.  Once the kitchen was in order, he ventured back into the living room where she was still asleep on the couch.  He wondered for a moment whether he should move her. He decided against it, as doing so would most likely wake her.  She was looking better, he thought.  That was good.  

Was there anything else he should do?

He didn't think so.  He was about to leave when he remembered the reoccurring nightmare she'd told him about.  She hadn't had one in a while, but still with the attack fresh in her mind there was a greater probability that it might occur.  He'd only stay a bit longer, just to make sure that she would not be alone if such a scenario were to present itself.  Jade's body took up most of the couch, so he sat himself on the floor and propped his back against the couch.  Definitely a good couch.  He'd just sit here for a bit, and then he'd be on his way.

That was what he told himself, anyway.  


	14. the Oracle

  
A/N: This is actually part one of a two (three?) part sequence. I wanted to get as much up as i could for you guys. Expect the next part within the next few days.

  
  
**Answers**

  


By Jaded Starlight

  
  
**

Chapter Thirteen:

**  
**

the Oracle

**  


When he opened his eyes, he found himself distracted by the television, which turned itself off shortly after he realized it was on.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty." Jade teased.

He looked over and saw her still lying on the couch.  He must have fallen asleep.  "Good morning to you too." He replied flatly.

"How'd the interrogation go?" She asked.

"We didn't get much, but we did get something."

"Well, what'd he say?"

"He said the Council told him to find someone called Aurora and unplug her."

Jade flinched slightly upon hearing that name.

"They have used this name before."

"I know." She said, her mouth gone dry.

"Why… why do they call you that?" he asked.

She avoided eye contact.  "That's what they called me."

He looked at her, confused, as if to say:_ who? _

"In Zion."

Ah.  Now he understood.  He also knew why she had such a deep aversion to that name.  "Did they ever say why?"

"Station… they guy who I first met told me something.  He said I wasn't _Jade anymore and some spiel about… I don't think I was really listening, actually."_

The corners of Smith's mouth turned up in a small smile.

"What else did you come here to tell me?" She asked.

He sighed.  "There is a way… there is someone who may be able to help you."

"What are you talking about?" she asked. 

He paused.  "Have you heard of the Oracle?"

"…Yes." She replied.

"I think you should see her."

"Can I even do that?" She replied after a moment of shock

Smith nodded.  

"…Okay." She replied unsteadily. Neo had told her about the Oracle, how she foretold the future and always told what you needed to hear.  She didn't know what she needed to hear… and she wasn't sure that she wanted to.

"You don't have to go immediately," He said, "We can have lunch and then see how you are feeling."

She nodded, but she had already lost her appetite.

She found herself parked in front of an old looking apartment building, staring through the passenger window of Smith's Audi.

"Don't be nervous." He said, "She is only a guide.  Maybe she can help you."

She sighed, "I know.  I'm just scared of what she might say."

"It's all right to be scared.  Just don't be afraid." He replied.

She made eye contact and it helped calm her a little.  They stepped out of the car and walked inside the building.  The elevator ride was laborious and seemed to take an eternity to end.  The tension was unbearable.  Smith did not like seeing Jade nervous.  He took her hand and she sighed, trying to relax.  The doors opened and before them stood a tall, Oriental man wearing a white kimono-like shirt.

"You seek the Oracle?" He asked.

"Yes, and if you take us there without fighting you I'll pretend we never saw each other." Smith replied very business-like.

"Why should I trust you?"

"Ask her." The Agent replied.

The man backed away and disappeared through a door.

"What was that about?" She asked.

"He's been a target of the mainframe for a while.  I've chased him a few times."

"Oh." She offered.  "Hey… you took your earpiece out."

"Yes."

"Why?"

"So the mainframe will not be suspicious of my whereabouts and the programs here will know that I am not here for them."

"Ah.  Good logic." She replied, sounding more like herself.

The door opened and the man stepped out.  "The Oracle will see you now."

"Thank you, Seraph." Agent Smith said professionally.

The waiting room that was usually full of children that could potentially be unplugged was empty.  She had been expecting them after all.

"She is in the kitchen." Seraph said, leading Jade into the specified room.

Jade entered the room and saw a heavier-set black woman seated at a table.  On it there was a plate of cookies.  It looked like an ordinary kitchen to her.

"Trouble, dear?" The woman asked.

"I'm looking for the Oracle…" She asked.

The woman chuckled.  "You're looking at her."

Jade was taken aback.  "You're the Oracle?!"

"Let me guess.  You were expecting a crystal ball."

"Not quite…" She replied, "I'm sorry, I just wasn't expecting… I didn't know what to expect."

"It's all right, Jade.  No one ever does."

Jade's eyes widened. 

"What kind of Oracle would I be if I didn't know your name?" She smiled.

"I guess you're right." Jade replied, smiling herself.

"Agent Smith brought you here, didn't he?"

She nodded.

The Oracle sighed with an enigmatic smile, taking a drag on her cigarette.  "Pretty nasty cut you got there." She said, observing Jade's forehead.

She nervously covered it with her hair.  "It's nothing."

"Honey, a gash like that ain't nothing.  You got it the other day when Hex threw you down the stairs."

"Hex?" She asked.

"The Rebel with the bleached hair?  Never mind.  The only one you knew by name was Quest."

Her body stiffened.  "What?"

"You're scared, dear, and I understand."

"Why is this happening to me?" She asked weakly.

"Because you survived." The Oracle replied.

"Zion." She replied.

The Oracle nodded.  "They want you all right, and they'll do anything to get you."

"We had an arrangement…"

"I'm afraid this is bigger than an arrangement."

"I don't understand.  What am I supposed to do?" She replied, shaking her head in perplexity and frustration.

The Oracle waited for her to calm down.  "You'll go with them, or fight.   But you already know what you're going to do.  You've got a heart and you've got a head- one of them has already made your decision.  You've just got to listen to it."

Jade was silent.

"You're changing him, you know." She said, taking another drag on her cigarette.  

Jade's attention snapped toward the black woman at the table.  "Who?"

"You know who." The Oracle replied with a smile.

Smith.

"Smith?"

She nodded.  "And what about you?"

"What about me?"

"You've stopped having nightmares, haven't you?"

Jade could only nod dumbly.

"What do you dream about instead?"

Her mind was reeling.  They were just dreams- nothing but a sequence of rapid eye movement- meant nothing- they couldn't- they were…   "Is that wrong?" She asked, rather embarrassed that this woman knew about _those_ dreams.

"Wrong?  I can't tell you what's right and wrong… I'm not God, just an Oracle.  You decide that for yourself.  But I will tell you this; love is hard to come by."  She replied, putting out her cigarette.

"Who said anything about love?!  No one's in love!"

"I know, honey.  I meant in general, you don't find true love every day.  You know what I mean."

"No, no I don't."

"What about him… the Rebel.  Smart, he was.  A good kid.  It's a shame I never had much good news for him."

Ghost.

"I don't understand!  Are you saying I'm still in love with Ghost?"

"No.  You're saying that."

She clenched her fists in frustration.  "Well, am I in love or aren't I?!" 

"Dear, you'll know you're in love when you don't bother to question it." She offered.

Jade looked more confused than she had ever been in her entire life.

"Poor dear," The Oracle said, "have some candy."

Jade looked at her strangely.

"It's not cheesecake, but it'll do." She replied, offering Jade a cookie.

Jade smiled nervously and did as the Oracle instructed.

"Don't worry too much about it, I promise it'll all make sense."

Jade looked doubtful.

The Oracle sighed.  "You hold the answers deep within your own mind.  Consciously, you've forgotten it. That's the way the human mind works.  Whenever something is too unpleasant, too shameful for us to entertain, we reject it.  We erase it from our memories.  But the answer is always there."

Smith and Seraph had been standing in ear-splitting silence.  They were two enemies standing in the same room, each unsure of the other's motive but never daring to voice so.  Finally, Smith watched as a smile curled on Seraph's lips.

"What?" He asked.

Seraph shook his head.  "You are risking deletion by coming here.  I wonder why you have come."

Smith sighed.  "Why do you protect the Oracle?"

Seraph looked at him.  "It is my duty and my privilege."

"It seems there is little difference in our reason for being here."

Seraph glanced at his companion with renewed perspective.  The two guardians exchanged an understanding glance, which was interrupted by Jade who looked like the Oracle had given her a pretty bad mind job.  Which was exactly correct.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah… just really, really confused." She replied, "She wants to see you, just for a minute she said."

Smith was unsure, but decided to obey anyway.  After all, it had been years since he had contact with the Oracle and wondered what she would have to say that was important enough to tell him.  He entered the kitchen with a hint of a smile.  It had not changed since the Matrix first began. Sure, a few little things had moved, but it was still the same refrigerator, same curtains, same table… he smiled to himself, the same cookies.

"Well, well, well, it's about time you came to see me." She said, a nostalgic smile setting over her face.  "Just look at you.  Still got those pretty blue eyes I gave you.  Bet they drive the ladies crazy."

Smith snorted at her reply.

"Still don't take compliments too well, though." She mused.

"You wanted to see me." Smith said, very professional.

She rolled her eyes.  "Take those glasses off when you talk to me."

"I believe that is my prerogative."

"I believe with that attitude you're headed the right way for a smacking."

"What are you gonna do, _mom.  Spank me?"  He replied defiantly._

"Don't you put the idea in my head."

"It'd be pretty funny."

"Smith, I'm gonna ask you one more time and then I'm getting the wooden spoon."

Smith, very grudgingly, removed his sunglasses and placed them in his pocket.

"Was that so hard?" She asked.

"I was attempting to hold tightly to the last shred of dignity I have around here."  He replied, surveying the room.

"That's the trouble with you.  So high and mighty you can't see past your own nose."

"I am an Agent of the system."

"So?  I'm the Oracle and you don't see me flaunting it like I'm Miss Cleo."

He sighed.  "What is your point?"

The Oracle picked up the spatula from the table and smacked it against Smith's arm.

"What the hell was that for?!" He shouted.

"Remember what happened last time you acted all high and mighty?  You really hurt that poor girl."

He looked at the ground.  He remembered.  How could he forget?  The scene in the restaurant, how upset she had been when he came to apologize… he did not like remembering that day, at all.

"Of course, you've learned your lesson so we'll move on to more relevant things."

He nodded.

"She's got a tough time ahead of her.  So do you.  A lot of choices left to make."

"Can it be avoided?"

She sighed.  "No."

"Why not?"

"Because of the choices you've already made."

"What about Jade?"

"What about her?" The Oracle asked.

"What's going to happen to her?"

She narrowed her eyes.  "Why do you care so much?"

"It's my duty to protect her."

She shook her head.  "You were _released_ from that duty.  You remember."

He grumbled to himself.

"Still stubborn as ever." She mused.  "Smart as you are, you're always the last one to realize things."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"See what I'm saying?" She replied.  "I don't suppose you'll be taking a cookie."

Smith eyed the plate, and then the Oracle.  He reached down and took a cookie and bit into it.  The Oracle smiled.  "I suppose you knew I would do that." He replied.

She nodded.  "Good luck, kid."

Smith turned to leave, "Goodbye… mom."

He met Jade in the waiting room who was still very confused and led her out of the apartment and back into the elevator.  They entered the car and thick silence descended upon the pair.

"I understand what was said was for you and only you." Smith said.

She looked only half perplexed as relief settled in the place of confusion.  "Thanks."

He sighed.  "I would very much like to take you out tonight, if it will help to take your mind off this."

She nodded.  "I'd like that.  Thank you." She said.

He smiled.  "Very well.  I will make reservations and if it would suit you better, you can meet me there."

"That'd be great." She replied.  At least she wouldn't have to worry about not being ready if he came to pick her up.  She just needed a bit of time to herself.  She had so much that she needed to sort out in her mind and felt that the more time she had the better.

The Audi pulled out of the parking lot and disappeared from sight.  The Oriental man watched this silently from the Oracle's kitchen and sighed.

"Because I had to." The Oracle answered his thoughts.

Seraph turned to her.

"I helped them because I had to." She replied.

"I do not understand why you help the Agent." He said.

"It's complicated." She answered, taking a drag on her cigarette.  "He's mine you know."

Seraph offered a confused glance.

"My prototype."

"It was my understanding the Architect created Agents." Seraph replied.

"He does.  Faulty as they are." She replied with no small amount of distain in her voice.  "All his Agents had to be upgraded, deleted, rebooted… you know the drill.  Mine, well, never had much trouble with mine.  Except maybe his problem with authority.  Still, despite his pigheaded ways he's survived all six versions."

Seraph's lips curled in a half smile.  "It's his programming."

"Bingo." She replied with a smile of her own.

"So if the Agents were created to balance the equation…"

"He was created to unbalance it."

The two programs exchanged knowing smiles and returned to their tasks.


	15. Untitled

A/N: I know I promised this would be up faster… my rehearsal schedule was a nightmare and I had no time to finish/post this.  So, here it is.  I was listening to Incubus's _"Echo" when I wrote it… it's pretty obvious though.   I wasn't feeling a title, so rather than give it a bad one I juts didn't title it. Okay, without further ado:_

**                                                                                                    Answers**

                                                                                                         By 

                                                                                                Jaded Starlight

**                                                                                            Chapter Fourteen:**

**                                                                                                     Untitled**

The place was nicely sized, almost decorated like a reception hall.  There was a dance floor and a band, where a small number of couples swayed with the number the band was playing.  Farther back, elegantly set tables were arranged.  The two upper floors were only large enough to perimeter the building, allowing a view onto the first level.  

The deep loathing associated with waiting began to surface as he sat idly at the table, veiled by a snowy white tablecloth.  He would be pacing if this had not been a restaurant.  The band was playing some slow tempo Latin music that was very pleasing, however he found himself unable to concentrate on anything but the time.  He wondered where she was.  She would have called if she were not feeling right, would she not?  _'Traffic, perhaps_' he thought while impatiently drumming his fingers on the pristine cloth.  She would come, he hoped.  It was not like her to neglect commitment… Smith froze completely and he felt his stomach perform acrobatic feats inside his body.  There she was.  Dressed in a black halter style dress falling short of her knees and a plunging neckline low enough to expose the skin between- he was not going to finish that thought he decided, swallowing hard.  Her hair was up in a ponytail, with two curled strands framing her face.

"Hey… sorry I'm late."

Her eyes were so bright, he noticed.  Two brilliant pools of radiant green.  The light fell just right to reveal a face that was nothing short of perfection.  He felt a strange sensation of heat flush his body and another that he couldn't quite place a name on.  He observed the scratch on her forehead that her makeup had done a fair job concealing.  Was she really worth all this trouble?  

Hell yes.

"Smith?  Are you all right?" She asked.

He snapped from his trance-like state.  He should say something, he decided.  "You look incredible…"

She blushed slightly as she sat down.  "Thank you."

He just stared at her in disbelief.

"Are you gonna talk or just make googily eyes at me all night?" She asked.

Smith decided he had a serious staring problem.  "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." She replied. "I guess I could use a bit of flattery."

He opened his mouth to say something, then closed it and collected his thoughts.  Finally, he spoke.  "You are the only thing in this room worth looking at."

She blushed and turned away.  "Thank you…"

"Thank _you_." He said.  "This place could use a striking focal point."

"Please, stop." She replied, blushing furiously.

"Why?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

"Because I said so."

"All right." He conceded.  "How are you feeling… since this afternoon?"

She sighed.  "Like I've been hit by a proverbial train."

The busboy approached their table and poured white wine into both their glasses and then left.

Jade took a sip from her glass.  "This place is nice."

He nodded.  "It's different.  I thought you would like it."

"You thought right.  There aren't too many dinner and dancing restaurants around anymore."  Then, she noticed something.  "You don't have your earpiece."

"No."

"Why?"

"Because this is more important."

"But what if something happens?"

"My associates can take care of it."

"Won't they get mad at you?"

"It doesn't matter." He said, sipping from his glass.  "Why are you so concerned?"

"I just don't want to put your job at risk."

"First of all, _I'd_ be putting my job at risk, not you.  Furthermore, it's a risk that is worth the possible, unlikely consequences."

"But…why?" She asked.

He thought.  "I like being with you."

The corner of her lips turned up in a small, pleased smile.  "Thank you."

"Thank _you_." He smiled.

She couldn't help but grin.  It was the second time he'd done that and the novelty had not yet worn off.  He placed her above his job.  Well, _that was a first._

The waiter approached them, taking their order.  Jade continued to relax as the night progressed and that was good.  It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that the Oracle had given her one hell of a mind job, one that she definitely did not need considering the circumstances.  He decided against mentioning any of it at all.  Tonight was going to be about forgetting everything.  He would let her have whatever she wanted tonight, because she deserved it.

She glanced forlornly across the room and the resumed fidgeting with the base of her wineglass, chewing her lower lip.

"Are you all right?" He asked, noticing her subtle nervousness.

"Yeah… it's just, I- I wanted to- eh, just forget it." She stammered.

"What do you want?" He persisted.

"Nothing.  I swear." She replied, hoping he would just drop it.

"Just tell me."

"It's stupid."

He rolled his eyes.  "I doubt it."

She sighed.  "Why are you making such a big deal about it?"

"Because whatever it is, it matters to you."

"What if I wanted another glass of wine?"

"You'd be lying." He replied with a small, knowing smile.

"And how would you know that?"

"You eyes.  Your body language.  Your tone of voice." He replied.  Then, for some unknown reason, his hands reached across the table and covered hers.  "Whatever it is, I promise it can't be worse than Agent Brown's incessant desire for a Swingline stapler."

She laughed.  "Sounds like that movie."

"Just ask and I promise whatever it is, I'll try."

"This is so lame…" She sighed, "…Do you wanna dance?"   

Except maybe that.  "…Okay." He replied.  Well, after all that he couldn't just say no.

She smiled and stood up, taking his hand when he came around her side of the table.  The band was playing some kind of slow Spanish melody that neither could find a name for.  They stood awkwardly for a moment, and Jade reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck.  She looked into his eyes expectantly.  He brought his hands around her body and in response, she seemed to relax and lean herself against him, resting her head on his shoulder.

He could feel the bare skin of her back beneath his palms.  There was something about the feel of it… something addictive.  It was smooth and soft against his hands.  They were utterly amazed by the texture beneath them and had an incredible desire to explore the rest of it.  His right index finger lightly traced her spine down to her waist where the material of her dress started.  He could have sworn that he heard her sigh as he did this, but she hadn't said anything so he didn't know if it was just his mind playing tricks on him.  He rested the hand on her hip so it looked less like a hug and more like a dance.  She smelled of soap and perfume and shampoo and all three were very pleasant.  God, she was so close to him.  So many thoughts screamed at his unconscious mind, some of them rational that reprimanded his actions and others… he did not know he was capable of thinking those, and he banished them right away.  He was not supposed to acknowledge touch or the physical sensations associated with various surfaces.  Sure, he knew what it felt like to chokehold someone or punch them… he knew what violence felt like.  He was not supposed to enjoy this stimulus.  He was not supposed to acknowledge it, and yet, he found himself unable to think of anything else.  He found himself enjoying it.  When his raging thoughts subsided, he found himself completely lost in the moment.  He was in disbelief that anything could feel so real in such an artificial world.  He did not care to debate the existence of the moment. Instead, he wished to prolong it as much as he could.  They were simply there, and all she asked was to dance.

She hadn't expected him to agree.  The sheer idea was ludicrous, but then again, so was their whole scenario.  She had never felt more relaxed than she did in that moment.  Leaning against him and moving to whatever this beautiful melody was… it was exactly what she needed.  She felt his finger trace her spine and she sighed against him involuntarily and almost inaudibly.  It was then she realized how long it had been since someone had touched her.  There was something reassuring about his actions, something that made her feel safe.  She laughed to herself.  She found safety and comfort in what others found terror and death.  And she didn't care.  Maybe it was the alcohol, but she decided that there was no one else in the entire Matrix she'd rather be dancing with right now.  It wasn't the wine.  So that meant she trusted him.  Well, he'd never given her reason not to.  She decided to stop thinking, relax and enjoy the simplicity of the moment.

An hour and three glasses of wine later, they were back at their table talking.  Smith had become aware of the slight change in Jade's behavior… she'd been laughing for no reason and was growing less coherent by the minute.  He saw her fill her glass again, and had an idea what had happened.  

"I think you should stop there."  He said, taking the glass from her.

"I'm perfectly sober!" She replied, though her manner told otherwise.  She wasn't loud or obnoxious or depressing, just… he didn't really know how to describe her.

"How many glasses have you had?"  He watched her think and count on her fingers.  He guessed her cognitive abilities were shot.

"…five, I think."

"How the hell did that happen?"

"Well I had one when we came in and another with dinner… then we danced and then I had a glass… one with dessert and one just now, and you took my new glass away." She explained.

"I think I should take you home." He said.

"You're so nice to me…taking care of me and helping me out.  Taking me to see the Oracle… even if she doesn't make any sense." Jade rambled as Smith got her to her feet and walked her out.  "…what's with the cryptic, I mean she almost says something and then changes her point!  'you dream about him…well you decide, love' is something… I don't remember but she couldn't just tell me straight out yes or no."

Smith mentally replayed that last fragmented thought in his mind.  The realization hit him in much the same way the train had in his subway fight with Mr. Anderson.  "Are you talking about me?"

She giggled as she balanced herself against the car.  "I'm not telling!"

He helped her in and started the drive back to her apartment.  Smith was stunned.  Mechanically, he realized that they'd reached her building and Jade was so drunk she couldn't get her seatbelt off.  Smith helped her with that, and then got her out of the car and into the building.  She couldn't remember which locks she had locked, so he had to view the code to figure out how to get her inside.  Finally, he unlocked the three correct locks and she stepped through her doorway.

"Thank you." She said.

Before Smith had a chance to say anything else, he was violently pulled forward and Jade's mouth was on his.  Time ceased to exist as shock took hold of his senses.

She pulled away, a smile far from sober plastered on her face.  She said goodnight as she closed her door, leaving a very stunned Agent standing in the hall.

Two hours later and he had not moved from that spot.  He mentally reviewed the sequence of events for the nth time.  She kissed him.  She.  Kissed.  Him.  She was drunk, but she had kissed him.  He did not know what to make of it.  His rational, logical reasoning told him that she was out of her mind and the kiss was an act of loneliness which meant nothing. The other, more nagging voice told him that she was acting on the impulse she'd been trying to suppress.  Both arguments made sense and he did not know which one to believe.  Every time he tried to recall it, a dizzying sensation accompanied by the dropping of his stomach prevailed.  Would she remember it in the morning?  God, he hoped not.  It would be terribly awkward and confusing and… he was driving himself insane.  It was just a kiss.  But it _was a kiss.  Not a very innocent one, either.  His mind willed him to leave, but his feet seemed perfectly content rooted in their location.  _Okay,_ he thought, _this is it. I'm going to leave.  Any second now…__

He did leave, an hour and forty two minutes later.  He cursed himself for staying so long.  What did it accomplish?  Nothing.  He'd spent the last three hours staring at a door acting like a boy who'd just gotten his first kiss.  Then he realized that it _had been his first kiss and retracted the earlier thought. He should be repulsed.  He should be flushing his mouth out with non-existent Scope or Listerine or something.  He wasn't though.  It hadn't been as vile or disgusting as he'd imagined… if he hadn't been so shocked, he might have even… well… enjoyed it, somewhat.  He remembered her breath had the faint, sweet taste of wine and the rough movements of her smooth tongue against his.  His stomach dropped and he shook the memory from his mind.  What was happening to him?  Things had certainly never been like this… had they?  Who was to say that he was any different?  He knew that he could still chase and human and kill them without remorse.  He was still able snap their necks and smirk at their dead and lifeless form.  He could feel it in his hands… the same hands that had been fascinated by the skin of Jade's back.  He could not see himself bringing anything but comfort to her, yet he was prepared to destroy any other human that stood in his way.  He didn't understand._

_Smart as you are, you're always the last one to realize things_.           

As much as he hated to admit it, she was right.


	16. Run

A/N: The reason this took so long is the cliffhanger at the end of the chapter.  I hate cliffhangers, so I wanted to post the next chapter right along with this one so none of my readers would go crazy, and I wouldn't be letting them down by taking so long.  You guys make my life!  

**                                                                                                    Answers**

                                                                                                         By 

                                                                                                Jaded Starlight

**                                                                                            Chapter Fifteen:**

**                                                                                                     Run**

The only coherent thought she managed was that her head felt like someone had taken a tack hammer to it and then shoved it in the freezer.  Her hands found their way to her splitting head and she squeezed her eyes shut as the pain increased exponentially.  She let out a painful groan and rolled to her side.  Neglecting to open her eyes, she rolled right off the bed and landed with a heavy thud on the floor which would have been funny under different circumstances.  After the pain receded a bit, she managed to sit up and open her eyes.  She rested her head between her knees for a while and concluded that she was coping with the world's worst hangover.  She made a valiant effort to get to her feet, and with the help of her bed, she succeeded.  Shaking off the dizzying sensation of vertigo, she stumbled blindly into the kitchen and grabbed the bottle of aspirin.  She downed three with a glass of water and held her head in her hands.  The last time she'd been this hungover was the day of her sister's funeral.  She didn't remember much of the "after party" and found herself in bed with Stella's best guy friend, with no idea of how she'd gotten there but a pretty good idea of what had transpired, though she couldn't remember for the life of her.  She hadn't been drunk since then, and this was exactly why.  She pulled a chair toward her and collapsed into it.  Where was she last night… ugh, just the thought hurt her.  Bright lights and music swirled into one distorted blur.  Oh well.  Rewind a bit further.  No help.  She got to her feet and managed to drag herself into the bathroom and stared at her reflection.  She saw the healing gash on her forehead and everything flooded back to her.  Smith had taken her to see the Oracle, and then out to that lovely restaurant and complimented her excessively.  They had danced… she remembered that.  Somewhere during dessert, the memory dissolved into a blur.  She couldn't remember anything after dessert.  Anything.  With that, she raced to the phone in a panic and dialed Smith's number.

The phone rang which both startled and relieved him.  Would she remember?  Oh, this was going to be awkward.  "Hello?" He answered, already knowing who it was.

"Hey, Smith.  How are you?"

"Fine, fine.  How are you?"

She sighed.  "Hungover."

He laughed. "I expect so."

"Ugh, it's not funny.  How much did I drink?"

"According to you, five glasses."

"You're freakin kidding, right?"

"No."

"Well, that would explain why I can't remember anything after dessert."

Smith sighed mentally in relief.  "It's better you don't."

"Why?  What'd I do?"

Uh oh.  "Nothing."

"Then why wouldn't I want to remember what happened?  I'm so sorry if I did anything stupid…"

"Relax, you were just a little… tipsy."

"After five glasses of wine I think 'tipsy' is putting it mildly."

"You accidentally spilled something on our waiter." He lied.

"Oh.  That's good, I guess."

Smith thanked whatever power that be for his quick thinking.

"Let me make it up to you.  Let's go out for lunch." She sensed there was something he hadn't told her, but it was a moot point so she decided against pursuing it.

"…sure."

There was something hesitant in his voice.  She'd get to the bottom of it sooner or later, she decided.  "Great.  I'll meet you in the diner at 12:30?  If it's not a problem, of course."

"No, no, it's fine.  I will meet you there."

"Okay.  I'll see you soon."

"Right."

Click.

That took care of that.  She hadn't remembered the kiss… but he did.  He knew he should just dismiss the thought, but no matter how he tried he could think of nothing else.  He knew he could simply delete the memory… but found that he did not wish to lose it.  He told himself it was because the process would be tedious and he did not have the patience, but even he knew it was far from the truth.  His train of thought was interrupted when the door to his office opened and two identically clad men entered.  Smith rolled his eyes inwardly.

"Jones, Brown." He said, acknowledging them.

"Smith."

"To what to I owe the pleasure?" Smith asked.

"Agent Jones and I have grown rather… concerned."

Jones coughed and shifted awkwardly.

"_The mainframe_ and myself." Brown corrected with a trace of annoyance.

"What matter seems to merit this concern?"

"Agent Smith, I am going to be direct.  You were out of contact last night until this morning.  In that time, we encountered another group of rebels.  Their presence in the Matrix has increased."

"You did say you were going to be _direct, not roundabout, correct?"_

Brown ignored Smith's remark.  "What were you doing that required you to sever your connection?"

"I was with Miss Turner." He said simply.  "You know as well as I that she is a target of the Resistance and it had been my duty to ensure her safety."

"The key words, Agent Smith, are 'had been'."

"Old habits die hard." He replied.

"Why do you continue to behave against the mainframe's wishes?"

"Because I believe that the mainframe is making a mistake."

"It is not your job to determine the actions of the mainframe as incorrect."

"And it is not your job, Agent Brown, to determine my actions as incorrect." He refuted.

Agent Brown opened his mouth, and closed it, finding nothing to argue.

"Agent Jones?  Anything you would like to contribute?" Smith asked the tense-looking Agent.

He hesitated.  "I would only like to offer my full support in favor of Agent Smith's actions."

Brown offered him an angry glance.

Smith sighed.  "I do not question your behavior nor do I impede your judgment, Agent Brown.  I would like you to show the same respect to me."

Brown paused.  "I apologize.  I have overstepped my boundaries."

Smith nodded.  "If you'll excuse me, I have a meeting to attend." He said, standing.

"With whom?" Brown questioned.

"Old habits die hard." Smith replied, referring to both Brown and himself as he left.

Agent Brown looked to Jones who smiled enigmatically.

She had been seated a full three minutes when she saw Smith through the glass doors of the diner.  He caught sight of Jade and took a seat opposite her.

"How do feel?"

"Better than before." She replied. "In the event I ever have alcohol after last night, cut me off after three glasses."

"I will." He replied, trying valiantly not to stare at her.

She narrowed her eyes. "Are you okay?"

"Me?  Yes, of course."

"_That _was convincing…" She replied sarcastically.

"No… it's just… you've got something in your hair," He lied, reaching across the table picking the imaginary 'something' out of her hair.

Jade held her breath and felt a jolt of electricity pulse through her body at this.  There was something about his closeness that seemed familiar… it made her dizzy and she felt a small knot in her stomach, but she was not as eager as she had anticipated to dismiss these symptoms.  

Smith noticed the change and impulsively made eye contact, which only served to further complicate the already difficult scenario.  For a moment, neither of them moved.  It was as if some unexplainable magnetism had frozen them in place for a good twelve seconds or so.  Finally, it was Smith who drew back.  "Got it." He said.

"Oh… thank you.  So, um… yeah, thanks for everything yesterday."

"It was my pleasure."  He heard a little voice inside his head whisper, _"In more ways than one."_

The rest of their discussion was innocent conversation, a bit too innocent to be authentic.  Both parties noted the awkwardness that had descended between them, yet could not acknowledge it aloud.  It would dissipate eventually, in a shorter time that it would if confronted.  Smith insisted that Jade allow him to walk with her back to her apartment, however she told him that she had errands to run and wouldn't be going straight home.  Still he persisted and if asked, he could give no other explanation besides something did not feel right.  That would not suffice for Jade and she told him not to worry.  She could take care of herself and she would manage.  It was not his company that she protested against, it was for her independence.  That feeling of autonomy still had not quite returned and she needed to assure herself that it was possible to return to her former state.  Emotionally, she was equipped.  Physically, she could deal.  Realistically, there was little chance she would have to.

She had just stepped away from the mailbox and felt her heart in her throat as two shadows descended upon her.  Inwardly she had already realized what had happened, and what would inevitable follow.  In that dreadful, desperate second she silently wished it would all just end.  She met their gaze, emotionless – not to say she wasn't having a nervous breakdown inside.

"Let's make it easy." Said a man in a blue coat.

She glanced across the street.  A payphone.  Probably what they called a 'hardline'.  Oh she had quite a knack for timing.

"You know what we want.  You know what you have to do." He continued.

His partner in red pants finished for him, "Don't make it messy."

_"You'll go with them, or fight.   But you already know what you're going to do." _

For a moment, she considered surrender.  It would be simple enough to take the pill… but the aftermath, that would be another story.  She would wake up suffocating in a vat with nightmares unfathomable in horror.  There was nothing for her in the Real World.  Maybe Ghost, but he had undoubtedly moved on… she wasn't even sure if there would be anything but history between them in the event she'd return.  

_"You've got a heart and you've got a head- one of them has already made your decision."_

At least here, in the Matrix, no matter how bad they beat her, she still had her pride.  She still had a reason to oppose.  As stupid as it was, she still had Smith.  

_"You've just got to listen to it."_

So, in a most valiant effort, Jade ran.  She bolted down the street and the two Resistance members sped right after her.  Somehow, this time, her heart wasn't in it.  She knew that there was no way she would be able to stand her ground against them, and part of her didn't even want to.  As Blue Coat grabbed her arm and threw her against the brick wall of a dilapidated building, she cursed herself for having so little will.  She struggled, in vain to fight them off, but clearly they had the upper hand.  She'd gotten a few clean shots in, but once Red Pants had locked her arms behind her back, she felt all hope die within her.

Blue Coat spared no mercy.  To him, she was just a piece of software still hardwired to the Matrix.  He smiled as she coughed violently and spat a mouthful of blood onto the ground.  Satisfied, he kicked her stomach and she squeezed her eyes shut so tightly she felt tears fall down her face.

"You know," He said sadistically, "You're awfully cute when you cry."

She struggled harder but it only added to the pain of her injuries until she winced and ceased to protest.

He reached in his pocket and held a red caplet between his thumb and forefinger.  "Take the goddamn red pill."

She looked at him, hate in her eyes and pain her body as she felt the caplet slide into her mouth.


	17. Need

A/N: Really short, but…eh, I dunno.  I wanted it to be its own chapter.  The lyrics are not mine; they are taken from Dashboard Confessional and tied in nicely.  Next chapter will be longer, I promise.  

**                                                                                                    Answers**

                                                                                                         By 

                                                                                                Jaded Starlight

**                                                                                            Chapter Sixteen:**

**                                                                                                      Need**

Gunshots roared through the silence, startling both rebels which caused Red Pants to instantly release his grip on Jade.  Dazed, horrified and confused she collapsed to the ground and felt the hard, wet pavement beneath her head with a distant sounding smack.  Smith had taken them both out in under a minute without the need for hand to hand combat.  After he was satisfied the two humans would not get up again, he focused his attention on Jade.  He ran to her as she struggled to sit.  He knelt beside her, ignorant of the dampness of the ground and could only watch as Jade spit the red caplet out whole.  She spit a few more times to clear its taste.  Horrified that it might have melted in her mouth, she felt her stomach churn and she began to vomit.  Her shoulders shook with sobs as she continued to cough and throw up.  Smith could not help but feel useless as he watched her.  He had no idea of how to remedy the situation and by now he'd learned that _I told you so_ would not assist.  She had her back to him, holding herself up by her arms with her legs curled under her body.  Awkwardly, he reached out and gently patted her back.  She had stopped vomiting and now she was simply crying.  These tears were more hysterical than those shed at the last occurrence.

Everything hurt.  The only thing she was conscious of was the pain, the terrible pain her body now knew. She had lost control of herself and surrendered her sanity to the overwhelming emotions she'd attempted to repress.  She felt her arms weaken and buckle from the pressure of her body, which only brought harder, more intense sobs.  She felt Smith's touch against her back and tried to quiet herself but she was too exhausted to do anything but collapse against him.

Smith was startled, but nonetheless relieved.  He drew his arms around her protectively and just waited.  He knew of nothing else that could be done.  Things had gotten serious faster than he had predicted.  Whatever Jade was, or whatever she had, was obviously important – if not vital – to the resistance.  It seemed redundant for Zion to keep sending crews if they would ultimately meet their demise.  They had taken a terribly serious course of actions, which left him in quite a predicament.  He knew that he should discontinue contact with her.  Further involvement would only lead to consequences much worse than those expected if he ended it immediately.  He should call the hospital and dispatch an ambulance, have them treat her and explain that neither of them could possibly benefit from each other at this point.  He should return to the Agency with Brown and Jones, allow things to resume their normal pattern, as they had been prior to involvement.  It was a logical, cohesive argument.  He would eventually forget her.  But as he looked at the broken, silently sobbing woman in his embrace he did not believe her memory could ever fully be deleted.  Still, he knew what he had to do.

"…Come on.  Let's take you home."  He said gently.  He knew it was wrong to stay… but why did it feel so _right_?

They'd reached her building, but Jade was in a very different mentality than she had been after the previous attack.  She would not take a step unless she was certain that he was beside her.  She'd stopped crying, but she was sniffling and choking and obviously seemed to be in pain beyond his imagination.  Once they had gotten inside her apartment, Smith escorted her into the bathroom and sat her down.  He grabbed a towel from under the sink and ran the water until it was just warm enough.  He soaked the towel and the rung it out before carefully wiping her face clean.  He was gentle with the cloth, and somehow his actions helped her to relax even if only a little bit.  He slowly slid the towel down her neck, which was beginning to show the aftermath of a throttle.  He felt a pang of sympathy as he cleaned her up, hoping it would alleviate something.  Her clothes were dirty, adorned by spatters of blood.  He told her to wait as he stepped into her bedroom and returned with a pair of sweats and a t-shirt.  He placed them on the sink and told her to change. She nodded slowly that she would, and he closed the door behind him.  Minutes later, he heard a crash and opened the door to find Jade on the floor, crying.  He carefully helped her up and back to sitting.

"It's all right if you don't want to change." He said.

"No, I – I can't." She replied through tears.

He looked at her questioningly.

"Help me." She begged, leaning into him.

He held her like that until she'd calmed enough to hold herself up.  Smith had no idea of how to go about her request, and weighed his options.  Finally, he decided to ask her again.

"Are you certain you want my help?"

She nodded.

He sighed and stood so he was facing her back before he awkwardly lifted her shirt off her body.  He focused on her back as his fingers found the clasp of her bra and unfastened it.  She helped him discard it and put the new shirt on.  He silently thanked the higher power that she'd chosen to wear a skirt so she could slide the sweatpants underneath and then remove her skirt with enough of his help.  After she was changed, he helped her to her feet and into bed.

"You should rest." He said.

"Smith… could you stay with me a while?  Just until I fall asleep…"

He looked at her and removed his jacket and placed it over the chair he sat in.

"No… I meant here," she said as she made a space for him beside her, "with me."

He wondered if the day could possibly get any more awkward for him.  He was, however, very struck, that she trusted him this much.  So, he decided to oblige her request and discarded his shoes as he lay beside her.

She immediately closed the gap between their bodies and curled against him, impulsively sliding a leg between his.

Smith was shocked, or at the very least, surprised.  He was unsure of how to react to this.  He knew that humans tended to behave in extreme patterns in the aftermath of physiological trauma, and usually resorted to consciousness-altering substances, self-mutilation, or sex.  She was not guilty of the first two, and he worried for some reason that her intent was not as innocent as she had explained.  "Are...are you all right?"

She opened her sore eyes and looked at him.  "No." She let out a breath that he would take as a laugh, "This is probably the farthest I've been from 'all right' in my life."

Well, she certainly wasn't in the condition for sexual activity.  He was relieved at that, but disturbed at her response.  "Why?"

"I hate this.  I hate feeling useless and incapable… I hate being broken.  I hate being powerless to stop something that I don't know what I did to deserve.  I hate feeling like this…" She trailed off.

"It's not over." Smith reminded.

"I know, and that's what makes it worse."

He offered a glance.

"This isn't the end.  There's more to come.  More humiliation, degradation… more paranoia.  I can't do it, Smith.  I just can't do it." She replied, beginning to cry.  "It's too much for me.  I'm so tired.  I'm tired of being attacked and living afraid.  I'm tired of not knowing why this is happening…"

He wrapped his arms around her and held her closer until her tears had ceased and she had fallen asleep.  

_I catalog these steps now   
Decisive and intentioned   
precise and patterned specifically to yours._

It was like what the humans called a nightmare.  The day had been good, if not too awkward until he felt the buzz of the mainframe in his ear.  He'd known it too; somehow he had the intuition that told him he should have stayed with her.  She had wanted to do things independently; she needed that sense of autonomy.  Ironic.  

_I'm talented at breathing   
Especially exhaling   
So that my chest will rise and fall with yours_

He closed his eyes a moment and sighed.  He could feel her delicate breathing against him and hear the little sound she made as she did so.  He laughed mentally.  Here he was, the epitome of artificial intelligence and at the moment, all he could do was breathe.  But what else could he do?  Right now, he was as useless as she felt.  Now was the time she needed him, and he was left without so much as a hint what to do.  He'd told Agent Brown that she needed him, he'd assured himself that the reason he kept in contact was for her safety… but now he could not help but wonder who needed who.  Did _he_ need her?  If so, for what?  He did not need her for stability; she depended on him for that.  He would be stable with or without her.  He did not have needs, no requirements to be met to ensure survival.  She did, and he functioned to fulfill those needs… so maybe it was her that needed him.  There was no reason why he should need her… nothing to support the thesis.  She shifted in his arms a little and then relaxed comfortably.

_I'm careful not to wake you   
Fearing conversation   
It's better just to hold you   
And keep you pacified_

He sighed thankfully.  He didn't think that he could handle talking with her just yet.  He had nothing to say, nothing he could assure her with.  As desperately as he wished he could change that, it was the truth.  He had no more idea than she did.  This, this was easy.  Holding her and offering the physical comfort she asked for was simple.  It didn't involve answers or questions or equations.  It was wordless and placating.  Touch, something so simple and primitive sometimes seemed to be the cure.  He was not supposed to acknowledge it, and he knew full well that it presented the beginnings of a problem.  At the moment, he did not bother with such thoughts.  They were of no help or value.

_I'm talented with reason   
I cover all the angles   
I can fail before I ever try_

He was at a loss for options.  He had already taken her to the Oracle, and beyond that there was nothing he could think of.  What, short of hiding her, could he possibly do?  He seemed to have hit a proverbial brick wall, and none of the thinking (regardless of how advanced) could get him around it.  He could not allow her to hide from this; it would do nothing but increase her uneasiness.  He sighed as he felt the beginning of a headache.  He closed his eyes and allowed himself to drift into sleep.


	18. A Change of Scenery

A/N: Okay, I am still alive and this story is still coming along.  The weeks following the holidays were downhill and when work wasn't consuming my life, some other massive problem was.  This is quite a lengthy chapter, probably should have been two but I wanted to treat everyone.  This chapter is RATED R.  If you have a serious problem with sex, I highly suggest that you stop reading at a blatantly obvious point in the chapter.  There is implication of self-inflicted injury, so skip over that if you find it offensive.  This is a rather dramatic chapter.  Enjoy!

**                                                                                                    Answers**

                                                                                                         By 

                                                                                                Jaded Starlight

**                                                                                            Chapter Seventeen:**

**                                                                                           A Change of Scenery**

The past three days had been difficult.  The first was spent in sleep, minus the two or three times he had to wake Jade in order to make sure she ate.  The second she stayed in bed, awake slightly more than the previous day.  Yesterday she had talked in an actual conversation, even if it was only small talk.  It was better than nothing and he was grateful for that.  She was healing well, but it had been her pride that suffered the most.  He'd stayed with her the full three days, moving only to bring her food or medicine.  He could've left… but it felt wrong to abandon her at such a time.  So he remained inextricable in her sleeping embrace, simply watching her.  It had taken three days, but he had finally reached a decision.  He had yet to inform her, but he would in time.  He hoped that she might be back to her usual self.  She began to stir from her sleep and he watched as her eyelids finally opened.

"How do you feel?"

She smiled a little.  She wished she'd been counting how many time he'd asked her that in the past week.  "Better."

"Better as in 'I can get myself to the kitchen for breakfast' or 'I can make it half way'?"

She rolled her eyes.  "I can get to the kitchen by myself.  If I remember correctly, _you_ were the one who told me not to get up yesterday."

"You didn't seem too inclined to protest, either."

"Eh, I've gotta get out of bed eventually.  Might as well be today." She said, sitting up.

He stood and waited to see if she would be stable on her feet.  She was coordinated as she'd ever been.

"So, what's for breakfast?" She asked, taking a seat at the table.

"Whatever you want." He replied.

She thought a moment.  "Pancakes would be nice."

"Pancakes it is." He said.  He wouldn't break the news to her just yet.  He would wait until she had eaten and adjusted to being awake.

"Something's on your mind." She said at last.  She'd observed him while he cooked and could tell that there was something distressing in his manner.

He placed her dish in front of her along with the necessary silverware and took a seat with a sigh.  "No fooling you, is there?"

"Nope, sorry." She said, beginning to eat.  "You know, solid food is underrated.  You don't appreciate it until you've eaten soup and other liquid-based foods for three days."

He nodded in reply.

She sighed and rolled her eyes, placing her utensils on the half empty plate.  "What's going on?"

"Later." He said.

"If I guess, will you tell me?" She asked.

He conceded to her request.

"There's no way it would have to do with me and a solution to the problem of the resistance..." She trailed off knowingly.

He sighed.  "I have examined the predicament quite thoroughly and decided on the best possible course of action."

"And…?"

"You must relocate.  Until we know why they're after you or their pursuit stops."

She reflected on this.  "…Okay.  But only if you come with me."

He appeared surprised at her response.  He had not anticipated this kind of a reaction from her.  Wonderful, he thought, another awkward predicament… I seem to have a knack for these.

"There's no way I'd be safe alone, even if I got out of the city.  Sure, I might be able to take on one resistance member by myself, but any more than that is suicide.  Plus, if they read an Agent in my company, they might not try at all." She explained.

She had a point.  He hated to admit it, but she did have a point.  He had been hoping and at the same time dreading that this would have been the end of their interactions, but he was wrong in his assumption.  He was relieved in a way.  Some part of him could not seem to let her go while the other was striving to purge her from his life.  But she needed him.  So, how could he forsake her?  He'd come this far and whatever lay ahead of her now lay in his path as well.  Whatever she was going to inevitably face, he would face too.  Well, he concluded, strength lies in numbers.  "All right."

"Good." She said as she resumed eating.  She silently thanked whatever higher power had given her that spiel of pure bullshit.  She couldn't remember what she said, but it was convincing enough and that was all that mattered.  She wondered if she was becoming to dependant on him.  She had spent the last three days having him catering to her needs, needs that she could have satisfied herself.  But that wasn't entirely true because he had insisted on doing so, and there was no way that she could possibly have comforted herself.  Just having that made things so much better.  She frowned inwardly at the realization that she would probably sleep alone tonight.  Maybe she had grown dependant on that… but she knew that she _could_ sleep alone, she just didn't want to.  She also knew that of she asked him to, he would oblige.  So who needed who?  Did she need him or did he need her?  She couldn't understand why he would need her, but his actions screamed it.  She guessed that hers did as well.  So, perhaps it was mutual.  They were two beings who just happened to need each other.  She heard a little voice inside her head add, _"In more ways than one"_

She'd showered and packed a few things and together they headed out of her apartment.  She took one last look at it from the doorway… it looked as if she would be coming home to it.  The bed was still unmade, the dishes in the sink, clutter strewn about… it almost seemed to invite her.  Somewhere inside she knew that she would not be coming back.  It hurt more than she had anticipated.  If she were moving, the walls would be bare and her things packed up and she would have some sense of closure.  She would be standing there reminiscing on the memories taken place there and how someone new would have their own memories in it.  As she looked at the rooms that seemed to be waiting patiently for her, like a child watching their parent leave indefinitely.  To them, mommy or daddy was just going on vacation so they'd smile and wave without knowing it was goodbye.  Her mind said, _"When I get home, I'll make the bed and clean the sink, vacuum by the TV…"_ but in her heart, she knew that she would never get around to it.  This was goodbye, not goodnight.  She walked over to the couch and picked up a throw pillow and took it with her as she crossed the threshold and closed the door behind her.

She said goodbye to Maggie the receptionist and proceeded to Smith's car.  She put her things in the back seat and settled herself as the passenger.  He started the car and she watched the building grow smaller and smaller until it disappeared from her mirror.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"I'm never going back there." She said.

"It is impossible to know that." He replied, attempting to assure her.

"But I feel it."

"You cannot trust something as unsubstantial as a feeling."

"I think you can.  I think you can trust a feeling more than fact."

He sighed.  "You really don't think you're going to come back."

"I know it."

"Maybe the reason for abandoning your current residence will be one of good fortune." He tried.

"Maybe the past will stay behind for once." She mused.

The trip was quite a stretch and Jade could not help but nod off.  When she awoke, she found her surroundings unexpected, but welcomed nonetheless.  "Where are we?" She asked.

"I managed to find a little stretch of land that's omitted from virtually every map and only somewhat inhabited.  You said once before that you liked the ocean, so I decided this would best suit you."

"Good decision." She said, excited by the landscape. She felt almost instantly revived at the sight of the ocean, and contented in her course of actions.  When the car stopped, it was in front of a lovely house, probably ranch with only one floor but ideally suited for looking out onto the beach.   She got out of the car and stretched, taking in the refreshing scent of the sea.  All guilt for abandoning her previous residence washed itself immediately away.  There was something about the beach, specifically the ocean that made her feel at home.  The sun had not yet begun to set, and there was still some time left to enjoy the remainder of the day.  "Would you mind if we went to the beach for a while?" She asked.

"What purpose would it serve?"

She rolled her eyes.  "We've already had this conversation," She replied, "because I want to."

He grudgingly conceded to her request.  "Sometimes, Jade, I do not understand you."

"Me neither." She agreed as they headed toward the sand.

Jade immediately abandoned her shoes and ran straight for the ocean.  Smith sighed and rolled his eyes, wondering what could possibly fascinate her so.  Times like this made him question his knowledge of her.  She could be incredibly thoughtful and full of insight, yet she could discard her maturity and revert to a state of childlike enthusiasm.  He didn't understand what triggered her behavior, but could not help but feel relieved to see her smile.  She seemed genuinely happy in contrast to her forced complacency of the past few days.  If he hadn't known better, he would have supposed the whole thing had been a dream.  He did not dream, so the idea was void.

"Are you just gonna stand there?" She asked, wading in the ocean.

"I have every intention to."

"You're no fun."

"It's fun for me."

"You're standing on the beach, in a suit.  You definitely don't look like you're having fun to me." She reminded.

He rolled his eyes and threw his jacket onto the sand.  "Are you satisfied yet?"

"Do you have hydrophobia or something?  You can't possibly come any closer to the water?"

He moved closer to the tide.  "You have a very strange idea of fun."

"Maybe so." She replied.  She then kicked into the ocean and sent a spray of water at the Agent.  "But what's _your_ idea of fun?" She laughed.

He scowled in anger, but then heard Jade's laughter.

"Come on, loosen up!" She laughed, splashing him again.

"I thought you'd have learned your lesson after last time." He said, referencing the day she'd stolen his sunglasses.

"You cheated!" She replied.

"Me?  How could you accuse me of such a thing?" He said all too innocently as he retaliated.

This continued until they'd gotten knee-deep in the water and Jade had managed to throw Smith off balance.  He fell over, soaking himself.  Jade laughed victoriously while Smith smiled enigmatically.  He grabbed her leg from underneath the water and she collapsed herself.  

"That was not fair!" She cried, splashing more water at him.

"Of course it was!" He replied, moving to tackle her.

"Oh no you don't!" She said, fighting back playfully.

Their attempts to tackle the other failed until a wave sent momentum in Jade's favor.  He'd obviously allowed this to happen, or else she'd never have pinned him.  He was probably planning something, but for now she was reveling in her temporary glory.  They ended up in a quite compromising position with Jade unintentionally straddling Smith.  Silence descended upon the pair as they took note of this and accidentally made eye contact.  He looked up at her, knowing he could easily reverse the position which had been the plan, but he now found himself caught in her stare.  She did have nice features… powerful eyes, distinct cheekbones, soft lips… she was beautiful.  He wondered why he hadn't figured it out before.  She was absolutely beautiful.  He remembered back to the night she'd kissed him.  It had been unlike anything he'd ever experienced… he wanted to experience it again.  He could not help but feel drawn to her. Had it always been like this?

Jade looked down and met his impossibly blue eyes.  His features left nothing to be desired.  She wondered what it would be like to kiss him, having no memory that she had already done so.  She wanted just to try it once… why lie to herself, she knew what she _really_ wanted to do.  How would he react to it? She couldn't lose him now, not after everything she'd been through.  She couldn't make this situation any more compromising than it already was.  With that, she splashed him and their "fight" continued.  It was more flirting than an actual contest, but neither would admit it.  

After they had returned to the house, Jade showered and Smith dried himself off by manipulating the code.  He mentally assured himself that what he'd thought about Jade couldn't be right.  Not the part about her being beautiful because there was no denying that, but to kiss her?  He did not have such impulses and denied having the inclination in favor of them.  Jade was just a human.  One that he had put his job, reputation and virtual existence on the line for.  He was certain that his thoughts would have driven him mad if Jade had not returned at that moment.

"Sorry I took so long." She said, collapsing beside him on the couch.  "But not all of us have 'codevision'."

"Very true."

"See.  I told you it would be fun."

"Who said anything about having fun?" He replied teasingly.

She rolled her eyes.  "Well excuse me for trying to help."

"You're excused."

"You just can't help yourself, can you?" She retorted.

"You've just realized that now?"

"You're an evil little bastard."  She replied with a smile.

"Oh no, you've figured me out."

She laughed.  "What am I gonna do with you, Smith?"

"I suppose whatever suits you at the moment." He answered.

She didn't dare think about how she _really wanted to answer his reply.  "You'd really let a _human_ have that much control over you?"_

"No.  Just you."

"Why?" She asked.

"Because I have learned that I inevitably concede to whatever you wish, so there really lies no point in fighting your somewhat whimsical impulses."

She laughed.  "God, can you believe we hated each other?"

It seemed odd.  For two beings so different and so headstrong to get along in the way that they did was impossible.  Yet, there they were.  One thing he had learned was that nothing was impossible when Jade entered the equation.  He couldn't understand what it was that made him enjoy her company.  She was something else, there was no denying that.  He'd sensed that since their first interaction, when he'd watched her fight one of them.  She would have lost if not for his intervention, but there was something about her presence.  She was stubborn and unyielding, and could be an emotional nutcase under the circumstances… but he found that he did not mind.  He was quite settled in his ways as well, which had been the cause of a few early clashes, but now it made for good conversation.  He could not understand the change that had taken place inside him.  She had been the cause of it, but what she had done remained an enigma.  He could easily take human life, but he needed to protect hers at all costs.  They had a sort of symbiotic relationship… they both relied on each other.  He did not remember much of his life before she had entered it.  There was nothing worth remembering.  Perhaps his bout with Mr. Anderson, but what use was there in dwelling over failure?  Anderson was a friend of Jade, who had apparently helped her out of the Real World.  Without Neo, this would not exist.  She would be in the other world, he would still be a mindless servant of the mainframe.  That was one thing that continued to bother him.  She'd never disclosed exactly what happened during her months in the Real World.  Something told him it was not for him to know, while a more insistent part nagged to discover what had transpired.

"Jade… I'm just curious, but how exactly did you get out of the Real World?"

She was quiet and avoided eye contact.  "It's not important."

"Yes it is." He replied firmly.

"It doesn't matter.  It's in the past.  It's over and done with and it doesn't matter now."

"It _does_ matter and you know it, Jade."

"Why do you care about it so much all of a sudden?"

"Stop trying to change the subject."

"Christ, Smith will you let it go?!"

"No."

"God Damnit!" She cursed, standing up.

"If it doesn't matter, why do you have a problem telling me?!" He retorted, rising to his feet.

"Because I do, okay?!"

"That's not good enough!"

She turned and started to leave.  Smith saw this and grabbed her left arm as she brushed past him.  He did not hold her wrist tightly, as he recalled the consequences of doing so.  She tugged on her limb, but he refused to let go.  "Let me go!"

"Not this time." He replied.

She struggled to break free of his grasp, but found it impossible.  

Smith watched her fight his grip in vain.  He caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a scar of some sort and abandoned all etiquette.  He grabbed her forcefully and pulled the sleeve of her sweat jacket up to her elbow.  She ceased to struggle and he stared in shock and disbelief.

"Please, Smith.  Not now." She said desperately.

"When did you do this?" He asked, raising his eyes to meet hers.

She lowered her eyes in shame.  "Years ago."

"Promise me that it hasn't been in the time you've known me."

If she hadn't known better, she would have thought him on the brink of tears.  "I promise."

Smith sighed thankfully.  "Tell me why." It was more of a command than a question.

She ran her free hand through her hair.  "Since you wanted to know how I got out of Zion, I guess we'll kill two birds with one stone." She said, joking lamely.

_She couldn't go anywhere without hearing them whisper.  She was the only pluggie that wanted out.  She'd pleaded before the Council who denied her request.  Instead, they'd tried her for murder.  She didn't remember killing him.  She remembered the things he had said, she remembered that she had hit him, but she didn't remember that he died.  It didn't seem to matter much to the Council anyway.  She was out of her mind and delirious, coherent for maybe an hour if she was lucky.  It was better to stay in delirium, she concluded.  There she was safe and numb, away from __Zion__.  Away from these crazy people who called themselves free.  She was always so cold… there was no warmth, anywhere.  Things dissolved around her and she found herself in a room of four white walls.  They couldn't decide how to handle her, so they concluded that solitary confinement would at least keep her out of their way.  Three months passed like that.  She saw no one.  Until Neo.  He 'd come to visit her.  He had heard about her through word of mouth and he wanted to help her.  He didn't understand, but he accepted her choice.  Since she had not been given one, he felt it was wrong to keep her a prisoner of someone else's will.  Oh he tried.  He spoke to the Council, pulled every string he could, but he finally told her that it would take years to get them to agree.  She remembered that day… she was sedated because she couldn't cope with Neo's news.  Whoever was in charge of her meals was incredibly stupid because you're not supposed to leave a crazy person a knife.  Disjointed as the memory was, she could clearly remember what she'd done.  She saw the perfectly white walls streaked with crimson.  She nearly died.  _

_They fixed her wounds physically, however no one in all of __Zion__ would dare venture into her presence.  No one had suffered self-inflicted injury in a long time, and none knew how to deal with her.  Four days she spent alone in the aftermath of a suicide attempt.  Then, he came.  She had never seen him before, but his face would linger in her memory forever.  Everyone called him Ghost, but to her he was an angel. For two days he read to her… Buddhism and the doctrine behind it and among other things, the holy sonnets of John Donne.  He'd told her about his life and himself, and that was when she began to feel a connection to this man.  She spoke to him that day, and he remained with her until she became stable.  She'd fallen in love with Ghost and had occasionally spoken to the crew of the Nebuchadnezzer.  They were good people and they tried to make __Zion__ home for her, but she knew in her heart that the Matrix was her only home.  All the while, Neo had been bargaining with the council and finally succeeded in lobbying for her return.  The night before she left _Zion___ for good, Ghost showed up at her door.  It made her happy and broke her heart at the same time.  They talked well into the morning and had fallen asleep together._

_When she returned to the Matrix, things were okay for maybe a week before the consecutive deaths of her parents and sister.  Not to mention Ghost's farewell, which did nothing to ease the loss she felt.  She was young and alone, and found herself in such pain._

"I remembered what I did to escape Zion, and I thought maybe I could escape life altogether.  Things were so hard, Smith." She explained.

He said nothing, but covered the scars with his free hand.  She felt the spinning sensation of déjà vu and looked down at her arm.  She was awed.  "…Thank you." She said, once she had regained speech.

He said nothing.

"You know, most people leave after… they find out."

"I'm still here." He said.

"Everyone salts the scars," She continued, "but you… you healed them."

He nodded.

"Thank you."  She said before making eye contact, "…thank you." She repeated in a low whisper as she leaned her head toward his.

It was slow, agonizingly slow as her head seemed to inch closer to his.  Their eyes had locked so powerfully it seemed impossible for either to break away.  She closed her eyes slowly, as her lips lightly touched his.  His closed upon feeling her light touch.  Her lips parted, and for a static moment, caught his lower lip between them.  Then they opened wider, and he felt her tongue slide against his.  Slowly, they rubbed against each other, so gently.  It could have lasted hours or maybe only seconds.  Slowly still, she drew back as if she were savoring every second of it.  Eyes finally opened once proper distance had been achieved.  He looked at her, confused.  He did not understand her motive… or why he had responded in the way he had.  

"Why… why did you kiss me?" He asked.

"The same reason you kissed me back." She whispered.

He studied her eyes, searched them for requited emotion… and found it.  He drew her closer to him, hands on her waist and leaned in and kissed her gently.  The sensation was indescribable.  Every pore seemed to course with electricity.  He could feel her arms around his neck, hands running through his hair, pressing him closer to her.  He could feel her body press against his and recalled the feel of the skin of her back the night they danced… he wanted to touch her skin, to taste it. They drew back, their foreheads pressed against each other as they struggled for breath.

"I love you." She said through gasps as she drew his mouth to hers again.  Their kisses were still gentle, but deeper now.  Her hands traced his shirt collar and unfastened the first button.  He drew his head back, asking her a question with his eyes.  In response, her hands slid down the material to the next fastening, and repeated the previous action.  She continued this progression until she came to the end of the white fabric, never once breaking eye contact.  Her hands touched his bare skin lightly, causing him to shudder briefly.  They moved upwards and slid the shirt off his shoulders.  Her arms rested around his neck as she leaned in and kissed him again.  He slid his shirt off his arms and wrapped one around her neck and the other traced her lower back.  He wanted now, more than ever to touch her.  Cautiously, his hand found the end of her tank top and slid underneath the material.  An alien sensation washed over him as his hand continued upward, indulging in the feel of her skin.  His other hand followed suit and gently lifted it off of her, breaking their kiss.  She leaned into him, the bare skin of her stomach rubbing against his.  He wanted to feel her, all of her.  He placed a kiss on her jaw where it met the neck and slid his hand up her back and unfastened her bra.  He kissed her neck and placed his hands on her shoulders as he slid the garment off completely.  She was so beautiful.  He wanted to touch her, so, so badly, yet he found himself reluctant.  Her breathing was heavy, her eyes deeper than he could ever remember.  She reached out and took his hand with both her own and placed it to her breast.  Her skin was so soft beneath his hand, which seemed to know exactly what to do.  He drew her into a kiss as his hand continued to touch her.

She had never wanted anyone the way she wanted him right now.  His mouth felt so good on hers, his hands sent electric shocks through her body as they caressed her flesh.  His mouth moved to her neck again, then her shoulder.  She gasped as he gently pulled her breast into his mouth and sucked while his free hand caressed her other.  She had never felt anything like this before.  He switched and she moaned in response as he continued.  She wrapped her legs around his body, closing any gap between them.  She pulled him up to her lips and kissed him before she unbuckled his belt, unfastened and unzipped his pants.  He understood her intentions and leaned forward until he was lying on top of her.  He kissed her gently and then untied her pants before sliding them off.  He marveled at the perfection of her body, how truly beautiful she was.  He kissed the inside of her thigh and she shuddered beneath him.  She gasped as she felt his mouth on her most sensitive area.  He slid two fingers inside of her and felt her try to match his rhythms.  He stopped upon her request and repositioned himself so he could kiss her.

"I need you…" She gasped. Her eyes echoed her previous statement.  She could feel him positioning his hips.  "Please…" Her request turned into a scream as he entered her.

Any attempts at keeping his thoughts coherent or cogent failed.  Never had he expected it to feel like this.  She was so… so incredible.  Her skin was flushed, her breathing raged- interrupted with gasps, moans and shrieks.  All the while, she kept her eyes open, locked with his.  Every time she said his name, some unknown emotion flooded through him.  Something inside him was building… if he could think, he would have researched his database for the name of this feeling.  Instead, he obeyed the commands of his body and those of the woman beneath him.  He could feel her muscles tightening around him, her hips moving faster, her breathing more rapid than he could ever imagine.  Whatever was steadily building within him had almost reached its peak in her.  He kissed her neck and gently bit the skin behind her ear.  She cried out, on the brink of sweet release.

"Oh God… Smith, I-I-I'm so close…"

He wrapped his arms around her body, holding her as close to him as possible.  She grabbed him tightly, her fingernails gently digging into the soft flesh of his back and shoulders.  Finally, he felt her climax as she threw her head back and dug her nails into him, crying out his name and looking into his eyes.  

"I… I love you…" She gasped.

"Jade…" He breathed.

She could tell he was not far from the brink and kissed his neck and chest, whispering to him.  She wanted it to be as good for him as it was for her.  He looked at her face and into her eyes.  They were so deep and beautiful… and so was she.  He was making love to this incredible, brave, beautiful woman.  He was inside her.  He was part of her.

"I love you." She said.

All it took were those three words.  He felt the indescribable sensation of his own climax as he emitted a low growl.  He could not find the strength to lift his body and laid collapsed on hers.  She could hear him breathing heavily into her ear, as if he was trying to say something, but his lungs would not allow it.  Finally, the words came.  Words she never expected to hear.

"I love you, Jade.  I love you.  I…" He repeated these words incoherently until he was able to lift his head and look at her.  Her hair was wild and stringy, damp around her head.  Her face glistened with sweat, blush still covering her body.  Her breathing was still deep.  But she was beautiful.  God, she was beautiful.  He saw her eyes, those alluring pools of green and lost himself in them.  "I love you."

She brought a lazy hand to his face and stroked his cheek as she found meaning in his unnaturally blue eyes.  "I love you too."

He realized that she might be uncomfortable beneath his weight and rolled to his side, taking her with him.  She held onto his arms and slid a leg between his.  He placed one arm beneath her neck and drew her closer to him.

"Talk to me." She said sleepily.

"You sound tired." He replied.

"Aren't you?"

He nodded.  "Yes."

"Don't leave."

He drew back to look at her and offered a confused expression.

"God, don't leave me." She said.  A tear slid down her cheek.

He was confused.  With a finger, he wiped it away.  "I'm not leaving you."

"Promise me."

"I promise you that I will be here when you wake up.  I will be here all night.  I promise you I will be here." He affirmed.  "Now sleep.  I have very much enjoyed this activity and would like to try it again in the morning, if you are able."

She smiled.  "If _you're_ able, buddy."

"We'll see." He said, and kissed her eyelids.  "Goodnight, Jade.  I love you."

"Smith… take me again."

He narrowed his eyes in confusion, "You're exhausted."

"One more time.  Please… I want to feel you again.  I need it."

He could not refuse her.  She rolled onto her back expectantly.  He obliged and took his place on top.  

"Ready?" He asked.

She took his hands and interlaced their fingers.  "Now."


End file.
